An Invisible Mask
by ScaryCrazy
Summary: Naruto always seems so stupid and annoying, but what are his real motives for the way he acts? He doesn’t know that he is envied by Sasuke the very person he envies the most yaoi, eventually a lemon
1. Chapter 1

AN: Just something I've been working on in the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning when any other person would be happily asleep... i had to go change the chapters around because I accidently put two in one... and it took me a while to figure out how to post... but its all good now... reviews and suggestions are welcome!!!

Chapter One

Training was the always the same. Kakashi always read his perverted book, Sasuke was always annoyed by both his teammates, Sakura was annoyed by Naruto, and Naruto was always screwing up. And Naruto hated every minute of it.

Team 7 had been together for over four years now. And since they had been on their first real mission they had been bombarded with so much crap, and so much trouble that the current peace that the village was enjoying was becoming unbearably boring. They were forced to do the same training everyday. The same exercises, the same routines, and for no reason except to hone their already exceptional skills.

Today was no exception. Naruto had been sparring with Sasuke. But by now they were so used to sparring with each other that every sparring match they had ended in a draw. This seemed to frustrate Kakashi to no end, but Naruto wasn't sure why. Sakura seemed to get it, but whenever Naruto had interrogated her about it, she had remained stubbornly silent, and Sasuke never bothered to ask.

If Sasuke had asked, Naruto was sure she would tell. Four years hadn't changed Sakura's feelings for Sasuke. She was still just as "in love" with him as she had been in the academy days. Only now she didn't annoy him by hanging all over him or constantly asking him out. But if Sasuke ever asked her for something, she would do it, no matter what.

But when Naruto asked all bets were off. Although a decently strong friendship had formed between her and the blonde, Sakura was still thoroughly annoyed by almost everything Naruto said or did. He hadn't changed at all since she had first met him. He was still loud, still stupid, and still obsessed with ramen. And he still had that annoyingly obvious crush on her. Or so she thought.

Sasuke left as soon as Kakashi had dismissed them for the day and disappeared, leaving Sakura with Naruto. She turned down his offer to eat some ramen with him and left him alone at the training ground.

If she had looked back, Sakura would have noticed the sad look on Naruto's face as she walked away. And she also would have gotten the wrong idea about why the blonde was so sad.

"I hate this." Naruto said out loud, to no one in particular. He sat down on the edge of the training ground with his back against a tree. He was alone again. Completely alone. Always alone. It never changed. Every day, after training he would be alone, mentally kicking himself for every stupid comment, every act of idiocy, and every screw up he pulled through the day. He hated who he had become. Or who he had pretended to become. He really wasn't as loud and stupid as everyone thought he was. It was all an act. It was all a mask. He had first put it on when he was little, to protect himself from the hatred that seemed to be radiating off everybody he met.

He hadn't known why, but everywhere he went he was shunned. No one wanted to be around him. No one wanted to talk to him. No one wanted him playing with their kids.

At first, he had cried. But when he had broke down into tears because of someone's nasty comment, the only thing he got in return was a smug, "serves you right" smile. Like he deserved to be treated like shit. He had never done anything to them. And all he was trying to do was be accepted.

By the time he had got to the academy, his crying had successfully earned him the title of "crybaby." If anything, it made him want to cry even more. But he didn't. He stopped crying, and instead took everything that was thrown at him in silence. He packed it all away inside.

It had worked for a while. But eventually he needed an outlet. He needed to relieve all the pressure, all the pain that was built up inside. So he gave himself a goal. He didn't really want to become Hokage. It was more to convince other people that he wasn't fazed by their disapproval. And it seemed to convince them, even if it didn't convince himself.

He also started pulling pranks. In a way, it was his way of getting back at everyone, but at the same time it helped him relieve some of the stress he built up from hiding his real emotions. He didn't really enjoy it. It just fit the "uncaring, happy despite what you say" personality he was trying have.

And that was why he acted so stupid. Because it just felt right for the part. He was such a clown, such a prankster, he might as well be an idiot too.

And everyone bought it. Everyone accepted it like it was the truth. No one saw through his charade. No one saw underneath his "loud and happy" exterior. No one bothered to look closer.

So now, years later, Naruto was still wearing that same mask, using the same defenses to hide his real feelings. To hide the insecurity, depression and loneliness. And still no one noticed.

Naruto sat under the tree for a long time, half hoping that someone would show up to train and he could try to strike up a conversation. But at the same time he was hoping that no one showed up, so he wouldn't have to put his mask back on, so he wouldn't have to force another smile.

And of course, someone came. And of course it was one of the people that Naruto secretly loathed for never noticing the lie that Naruto was living.

"Hi Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said loudly, making the newly appointed Jounin jump.

"Hi Naruto." Iruka smiled warmly. "Done with you're training today?"

Naruto nodded, giving his huge phony smile that took over his whole face whenever someone was around. "How bout you? Just starting?"

Iruka answered the phony smile with a real one of his own. "Yeah. I passed the Jounin exam, but just barely. I figure I have some catching up to do." The sensei explained. "You'll be taking the exam next year, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto got up and brushed himself off. "Well, have fun training Sensei." He slowly left the training ground.

"Bye Naruto!" Iruka called after him. He was frowning slightly. Over the passed few years he and Naruto had slowly drifted apart, but Iruka was aware that something was bothering his old student. Although he appeared to be the same as he was when he was twelve, if only taller, there was something about his behavior that didn't seem genuine. He had mentioned this to Kakashi, who had spent more time with the boy in recent years, but Kakashi hadn't noticed anything. Iruka wondered if it was just because him and Naruto didn't share the same closeness as when Naruto was still at the academy.

Naruto used to admire Iruka. He even had a small crush on him, one of those student teacher crushes. Not that he would ever admit it. Just the idea of a same sex relationship would cause a riot in the village. But that was all in the past. Naruto had lost all feelings for the older man as he had lost all hope that his sensei would notice the lies he had built his life off of. It was obvious that he would never see exactly how unhappy Naruto was, and Naruto had long since given up.

Naruto dragged his feet all the way back to town. He was a little hungry and contemplated stopping by the ramen shop before he went home, but decided against it. He was so sick of ramen that he wanted to puke just thinking about it. That's right. Naruto Uzumaki absolutely hated ramen.

He had never liked it as much as he had made people think in the first place. Again, it was all part of the act he was continuously putting on. Even now, he pretended that it was his favorite thing in the universe. But he couldn't stand it. The times he did gorge himself with it when he was treated to it by one of his "friends" he had ended up going home and puking his guts out all night.

All in all, Naruto hated himself. He hated everything, from his stupid obnoxiousness to his horrible dress sense, to the real him that was locked inside.

"Hey Naruto!" The voice of Shikamaru made Naruto's eyes snap off the ground and a smile snap back onto his face.

"Hi Shikamaru!" He said in his fake cheerful voice- the one that no one knew was fake.

"Hey. Are you doing anything? Wanna get some ramen? My treat!"

Naruto thought Shikamaru was a nice guy, and did consider him the nearest thing to a friend Naruto had, with exception of a few people, but he couldn't have offered anything worse at that moment. But being as he wasn't willing to risk showing through his invisible mask, he accepted.

"Sure!" _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ Naruto mentally berated himself.

The ramen shop guy looked thrilled when Naruto and Shikamaru got there. Naruto used to be his best customer, but hadn't been coming around as much as he used to, and his profits had significantly dropped because of it. He was more than a little disappointed when Naruto only ate three bowls of miso ramen, which had been his all time favorite.

Shikamaru was surprised by this too.

"I don't wanna make you go broke." Was Naruto's explanation, but in reality his stomach was turning and everything he just ate was threatening to come up at any moment. He had to get out of there.

"Hey Shikamaru, thanks for the ramen. I'm kinda tired and I have to get up really early to train tomorrow, so I think I'm gonna go home and go to bed."

Shikamaru nodded his acknowledgment, still staring in disbelief at the three bowls at Naruto's place. One of them still had some ramen in it. He wondered briefly if his friend was sick as Naruto walked away.

"That boy is acting strange." The owner of the ramen shop told Shikamaru as he gave him the check. "He has hardly been stopping by anymore. I miss him." Shikamaru was sure that something was wrong.

Naruto was trying to keep up his cheerful smile as he passed other people on their way home. It was hard. With every step, his stomach lurched and he almost lost the recently eaten meal. But he was determined to get home first.

And he probably would have made it if he hadn't met Sasuke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sasuke had become close friends with Neji. Naruto constantly cracked jokes about how close they were, and how they were attracted to each other because of their "I don't give a shit façade" they both had, as Naruto put it. Everyone had been rather shocked when Naruto said it, not because he had dared to say it, but because he had used more sophisticated language than was normal for him.

But the reason for the Hyuuga and Uchiha friendship was still a mystery, even to them. They just got along really well. That, and they both thought that Naruto was the most miserable little shithead on the planet. Both were annoyed by the loud blond, and both were annoyed by the strength he had, but never used.

Sasuke's annoyance with the blond went deeper than just being annoyed by his demeanor. He had watched Naruto since he had first met him. He had noticed the hatred the boy was faced with, the utter alone-ness that everyone else seemed to throw aside like it was nothing. He didn't have anyone, he was just like Sasuke. But Sasuke hated him. Unlike him, Naruto was able to throw all the hate, all the loneliness aside and still be the happy-go-lucky idiot that he was. He didn't have a care in the world. And as bad as he wanted it, Sasuke could never have what Naruto did.

He would never be able to be mindless and stupid. He didn't come across as being self-conscious, but he was. He was afraid of being embarrassed. He was afraid of getting himself into the situations that the blonde was in all the time. He knew that if he was ever in one of those situations were everyone was disappointed with him, he wouldn't be able to just shake it off like Naruto did.

He was also incredibly angry with Naruto. Naruto could easily beat him in a fight. Sasuke had fought enough ninja's to know that Naruto had more power than was natural, and although he didn't know why, Naruto choose to hide it.

It frustrated him so much when him and Naruto were sparring that the blonde never tried very hard. It frustrated Kakashi and Sakura too. They all knew Naruto's potential, and they couldn't see why he wouldn't just reach out and grasp it.

Sasuke and Neji were having one of their rare fights. Neji had made a comment about all the girls that still worshiped the Uchiha, a big mistake. That was one of the things that always pissed Sasuke off. It wasn't his fault that he attracted so many women. He definitely didn't want their attention. Not yet at least.

Sasuke had managed to prevent himself from getting into a physical fight with Neji and was roaming around, trying to find a different way to relieve his anger when he met Naruto.

"Hey! Naruto! Lets go fight!" Sasuke shouted out his challenge. He saw a look of annoyance flash through Naruto's eyes and something happened that had never happened before. The blonde turned down his challenge.

"Not right now!"

Sasuke was more than a little shocked. With all his constant babbling about "becoming Hokage!" Naruto had always gone out of his way to "prove" himself, mostly by challenging the Uchiha. The fact that Sasuke rarely issued a challenge also added more to the shock of Naruto's denial.

"Why not?" Sasuke had lost his normal, uncaring composure.

"I don't feel like it, okay!?!" Naruto snapped. He had given up trying to force a smile, turning all his energy to try and prevent vomit from spilling out his mouth.

"Fine!" Sasuke snapped back, if possible even angrier than before. Now how was he going to blow off steam? He could always challenge Sakura, but she was too easy to beat.

Naruto had tried to continue walking to his apartment, but had come to an abrupt halt again.

Sasuke watched him curiously as he had some sort of battle with himself. Was he maybe going to change his mind about fighting?

Naruto could feel it coming. He couldn't stop it. He doubled over and threw up on the sidewalk.

Sasuke's own stomach lurched. Other people's puke had always grossed him out. But stronger than the sickening feeling in his stomach was the slight worry that had taken the place of the anger, if only for a moment.

"You okay?" He asked as Naruto gasped for breath, but remained doubled over.

"Stupid Fucking Ramen!" Naruto muttered darkly, more to himself than to Sasuke and he puked again.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but moved back more from the blonde as he puked again. If any got on him, he would lose what little composure he had and would be puking right along side him.

At long last, Naruto finally stopped puking. Sasuke was waiting patiently, carefully looking anywhere but the puddle of vomit.

"You okay?" He asked again. Naruto nodded. He wasn't really, but he wasn't about to tell Sasuke that.

But apparently it showed on his face or something because Sasuke just shook his head. "Don't lie. Come on, I'll take you home."

"I don't need you to take me home, I'm fine!" Naruto snapped. "I just ate too much ramen."

This didn't surprise Sasuke in the least. He had always been disgusted by Naruto's love of ramen.

"Fine." Sasuke snapped at him. "Suit yourself." He could use the time to find someone else who was willing to fight with him. It wasn't completely dark yet.

Naruto didn't respond with his usual, loud response, something that Sasuke found somewhat unsettling. He suspected that the idiot was really feeling a lot worse than he was letting on.

Naruto glared at Sasuke as he left. Stupid bastard! Oh how Naruto hated him. He was everything Naruto wished he could be. Or rather he wished he could show the side of him that was so similar to Sasuke. The side he had always kept hidden. But he could never pull it off. He was too scared. He couldn't let his true self be seen by anyone. They may have treated Sasuke great just the way he was, all brilliant and cold and silent, but Sasuke didn't have the nine-tailed fox in him. Sasuke had never been hated just for existing.

Sasuke almost didn't want to leave Naruto, more out of curiosity than anything. He wanted to know what was bugging the blonde, for him to lose his cheerfulness.

He walked a little ways, until he saw Shikamaru. He was still sitting in a ramen shop, eating a bowl of ramen. Three empty bowls sat next to him.

"You're going to turn into Naruto if you keep this up." Sasuke said as he approached the guy who sat slowly eating his ramen. Maybe Shikamaru would fight him. It wouldn't be very exciting, but it would be something to do.

"Hmm? Oh those were Naruto's. He left a little while ago. It surprised me. He only ate three bowls. I think something's wrong."

Sasuke arched another eyebrow. Three bowls? And he had puked his guts out? That didn't make sense. He had seen Naruto eat more than ten bowls and gone back for more only a few hours later. Something was definitely wrong with his teammate. He was tempted to go find out exactly what.

"So what are you doing Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked politely. They weren't really friends. But they didn't hate each other either.

Sasuke shrugged. "Just wandering around. Bye."

Shikamaru gave him a little wave as he left the ramen shop. He was torn. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to know exactly what was wrong with Naruto. He knew he could just go ask him, but wasn't sure if he would get an answer. He could go ask Sakura. She was pretty good at guessing how people were feeling. But on the other hand, he shivered at the thought of showing up at her front door. He knew perfectly well that she still had a crush on him, and he feared that any move on his part would send her back into her crazy attempts to get him to notice her. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk that.

So he decided to just go ask Naruto.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Naruto was wandering restlessly around his apartment. He had stripped off most of his clothes the moment he had got in the door and was now in only his boxers. But he was still burning up.

Apart from feeling sick, he felt extremely annoyed and angry with himself. He had lost it in front of Sasuke. He had completely dropped his mask for an entire two minutes. Why the fuck did he have to get sick? Especially in front of that bastard.

Stopping his pacing, Naruto went to the bathroom and started to fill up the bath. Baths were one of the few things he found pleasurable in life. It was a habit he had picked up from Jiriaya. Except he did it with the purpose of relaxing and not spying on women.

When the tub was full, Naruto stripped off his boxers and slipped into the hot water. He let all his muscles relax.

More thoughts of Sasuke entered his mind, and another stab of anger interrupted his relaxation. That stupid asshole was still fucking with him, even if he wasn't really there.

Naruto sighed. He could never keep himself angry with Sasuke. No. His anger always turned to sadness and frustration. Sadness, because he easily recognized the similar lives they had. They had the same problems. Sadness because they had different solutions to their problems, and those differences got in the way of the friendship that he was sure would have otherwise emerged.

The frustration came from the mixed feelings he had for Sasuke. He had a crush on him. And not one of those annoying crushes that everyone else and their mother had on him, but a genuine admiration for everything he did, and a strong longing to be closer to him. It had started back when they had just graduated from the academy.

Naruto could easily remember how he got teased, no matter what he did. When he cried, he was a crybaby. When he announced that he wanted to become Hokage, he was going to be a failure, and when he didn't show interest in "dating" –if it could even be called that at that age- he was gay, and that wasn't okay. Not only was it looked down upon, it was forbidden. It wasn't official, but it was general knowledge that if a person in Konoha was gay, they weren't there for long. Something always happened to them. Always.

So, just to get everyone to shut up, he had developed a "crush" on Sakura. He had never really been interested in her. Not in the least. She actually annoyed the shit out of him. But he was never going to let anyone know that.

Then when him, Sakura and Sasuke had been put in a team together, his "crush" had served another purpose. It successfully hid the crush Naruto had on Sasuke. The one that he had developed the moment he had kissed him. It had been an accident, and he had acted disgusted, but in truth it had sent sparks flying all up and down his spine.

It was possibly his biggest secret, the feelings he had for his teammate. He was more scared of someone finding that out than anything else. Everything else he could live with.

The water was starting to get cold. He hadn't realized he had been in there that long. His fingers were wrinkled.

Before he got out, he reached out and pulled open a drawer. His fingers searched around until he found what he was looking for. It was a small box. In it was a single razor.

It had been a habit for almost two years. For every day that went bad, he would cut himself once. He had cut himself everyday since then.

He had chosen a spot on his body that he could easily hide. Lifting his hips out of the water, he dragged the razor heavily across his outer thigh. He could see hundreds of other scars, and some still healing cuts.

Naruto let the blood drip into the water for a moment before he got up. He hid his razor back in his drawer, pulled the plug out of the drain and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the closet in the hall as he made his way into the kitchen.

Naruto didn't bother getting dressed most of the time when he was home. He lived alone, so it didn't matter that he walked around naked. It was just easier for him. He knew other people would think he was strange if they knew he even slept naked, but he didn't care.

Drying his hair with one hand and ignoring the trail of water he left as he walked, he filled a pan with water and set it on the stove to boil. He needed some tea.

Naruto turned to walk back out of the kitchen and jumped out of his skin. He slipped in the puddle of water he was standing in and fell hard to the ground. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, his eyes wide in shock at the sight of his naked teammate. Naruto stared up at him with just as much shock as Sasuke's eyes traveled quickly over his body and came to a rest on the blonde's still bleeding hip before Naruto quickly grabbed the towel and covered himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four 

Sasuke had gone to Naruto's apartment, with the hope that his teammate would tell him what was bothering him, or at least let him inside. In the years he had known Naruto he had never seen the inside of his apartment. The blonde was always more distant with him than with anyone else, and he suspected that was the reason.

No one answered when Sasuke knocked. This was strange too, because every other time he had knocked on Naruto's door it had been pulled open and he had been faced with a very excited teammate. Well he was excited until he saw who was there.

But this time there was no answer. Sasuke wondered briefly if maybe Naruto wasn't home, but another thought struck him. What if he was hurt? Or sick? Maybe he was poisoned. That would explain why he got so sick off such a small amount of ramen. What if he was passed out in the apartment and unable to answer the door?

Not sure of exactly where this worry was coming from, Sasuke tried to open the door. To his surprise it wasn't locked. It swung open, and he hesitated a minute before going inside and closing the door behind him.

Naruto's apartment was small. There was a small living room and he could see the kitchen off to his right. There was a short hall to his left where he guessed the bathroom and bedroom was.

Still unsure of what actions to take, he slowly followed the sound of running water. Naruto's clothes were scattered on the ground, and Sasuke had a pretty good idea of what he was doing, but he stuck his head in the door anyway.

There was the blonde, lounging in the bath. His eyes were closed rather peacefully, and his mouth was turned in a slight frown.

A wave of relief washed over Sasuke and he made his way to the kitchen. Naruto was alright, but he still wanted to know why he was acting strange, so he leaned against the wall, waiting for the blonde to emerge from his bath.

It took a lot longer than he expected. Sasuke was tempted to just sit down and wait for him, but he didn't want it to seem as if had been there long.

Finally, Sasuke heard a door open and close and then footsteps coming toward the kitchen. What he saw made him freeze up.

Naruto walked into the kitchen, dripping wet and naked, towel drying his hair. He could see everything. He didn't even notice what the blonde was doing until he turned around and their eyes met for a split second.

It wasn't surprising that Naruto slipped, being as he was Naruto and there was a puddle of water on the floor. What Sasuke found surprising were the cuts on Naruto's hip. He got a good look at them before Naruto covered up. Then he looked back into the other boys' eyes and all he saw was anger.

"What the fuck! Sasuke! What the hell are you doing here!?!" Naruto demanded, scrambling to his feet and clutching the towel desperately around his waist. "Did you break in!?!" It had never occurred to Sasuke before this that Naruto was capable of showing so much anger in his eyes. Normally he was just loud and laughing.

"It's called a door, stupid! You left it open!" Sasuke replied quietly.

He had expected more screaming from the blonde, but all that was there was a confused look. "Really? I didn't even notice…"

_There's definitely something wrong with him_ Sasuke thought as he watched Naruto close his eyes and concentrate.

"You still didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" Naruto's voice remained quiet, something Sasuke hadn't thought was possible.

"I came to see what was wrong with you. You're acting strange. And I wanted to know why you're really sick." Sasuke replied. Under any other circumstances he would have taken the opportunity to screw with the blondes head by giving him vague and hinted answers, but he wasn't sure what was wrong with him yet.

"I told you, I ate too much ramen!" Naruto snapped back. He was almost just as surprised at how Sasuke was acting. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that Sasuke had given him a strait answer for once.

Sasuke shook his head. "I talked to Shikamaru. You had less than three bowls."

Naruto stiffened. He was talking about him to Shikamaru? What the hell was wrong with him? "Well it was too much, okay!?! Its not like I can't grow out of my love for ramen!"

Then, the unthinkable happened. Sasuke laughed. Yes, the cold hearted Uchiha laughed. It wasn't really that funny, but hearing Naruto claim that he didn't really like ramen anymore was simply hilarious.

Naruto suddenly punching him in the face let Sasuke know that his teammate was serious and didn't find it at all amusing. He stumbled backward, holding his mouth. The amusement was gone from his features as he surveyed the rigid blonde. He had a glare on his face- a very uncharacteristic glare- a glare that could have made Sasuke proud, if he hadn't seen it coming from Naruto.

"What's your problem!?!" Sasuke demanded, feeling the blood that was coming from his split lip.

"You're my problem!" Was Naruto's reply. "Why the hell do you care if I'm not acting like myself!? Its not like you even know the real me anyways!" Naruto stomped out of the kitchen, leaving Sasuke with his bewildered thoughts.

_I don't know the real him? What's there to know? _Sasuke thought. He quietly walked back into the living room and headed for the door, his thoughts turning back to the cuts on Naruto's hip. He had no clue that his teammate cut himself. And from the looks of it he had been doing it for a long time. It disturbed him.

He was just about to leave the apartment when Naruto came bursting out of the bedroom, fully clothed.

"Lets go fight!" He snapped, slamming the door to his apartment shut and pushing past Sasuke to lead the way out into the cool night air.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five 

Naruto was leading the way to a training ground a little ways outside the village. They normally didn't go there, because it was so far out, but they didn't want to disturb anyone with their sparring.

The whole while, Sasuke was silent, wondering what else Naruto might be hiding. He obviously had some secrets, but Sasuke had never given them much thought. One thing was certain. He was starting to figure out that the stupid, loud, idiot wasn't the only side Naruto had.

They reached the training ground. It was faintly lit by the light of the moon. Still not saying a word, Naruto quickly positioned himself at the opposite end of the field and stood, obviously waiting for Sasuke to make the first move.

Now being as Naruto was normally the one to charge first, Sasuke was a little weary as the blonde stood there waiting. But he had fought him enough, he should be ready for anything, right?

Naruto watched as Sasuke slowly analyzed everything. His stance, the distance between them, and every little detail. Meanwhile, he was inconspicuously summoning his chakra so that when Sasuke finally made a move, he would be ready.

At long last, Sasuke charged toward him, ready to strike him. Naruto didn't move. He waited, watching Sasuke get closer, and closer, and closer.

Sasuke swung one of his hardest punches at Naruto's face, and he hit- nothing?

Naruto had disappeared at the very second Sasuke's fist should have made contact, and Sasuke felt a blow to his face as Naruto appeared on his left and punched him hard. With the momentum of the punch and the speed Sasuke had obtained during his charge, he slammed into the ground and rolled a few times before quickly jumping up.

Sasuke shook his head. He was very disoriented. All his assumptions that Naruto had been going easy on him before were proved true. He couldn't see strait and had no idea where his teammate had gone.

Then Naruto was right in front of him, and before he could react, Naruto's foot made contact with his stomach and he flew backwards, only to be kicked again from behind. Sasuke wasn't sure whether Naruto had made clones or if he was just moving that fast, but he was sure of one thing. Naruto was pissed. A pair of hands wrenched him up into the air, and he was staring at the moon. Then a foot made contact with his head and he blacked out.

When Sasuke crumbled to the ground, he hadn't laid a single blow on Naruto. Naruto, while sweating a little, was completely unfazed by the fight. Or he seemed to be as he stood still staring at Sasuke's unconscious form. But on the inside, he was wrenched with guilt. All Sasuke had done was worry, something that Naruto had wanted him to do since the day they met. But he hadn't wanted him to find out what he had found out. He hadn't wanted him to see the cuts and scars.

Naruto sat down and watched Sasuke for a few minutes, wondering what he should do. He couldn't just leave him there as much as it sounded like a good idea. He didn't think it was bad enough to take him to the hospital. And he wasn't about to take him home. What else could he do then?

He could take him to Sakura's house. She would have no problem looking after the Uchiha until he woke up. It was a good idea.

Hoisting Sasuke up onto his shoulder, he darted back toward town, hardly feeling the weight of the boy as he focused his chakra to his legs.

There weren't many people out and about, and Naruto reached Sakura's house in very little time. He had been right. Sakura was absolutely thrilled to be looking after Sasuke, although she was a little too curious as to why he was in such a horrible state. Naruto didn't answer when she asked, but took off back to his apartment. She didn't need to know the details.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six 

Sasuke woke up to someone sponging his forehead with a wet cloth. He was very sore, and had no idea where he was. He blinked a few times, and saw Sakura. So he had to be at her house. But how had he gotten there?

"Sasuke! You're awake! Are you okay? Naruto brought you here last night and he didn't tell me what happened."

Naruto. Of course. He had fought him. And the bastard hadn't gotten a scratch. He had always known that Naruto was good. He had just never known he was that good.

He sat up quickly. He couldn't believe that asshole had taken him to Sakura's house, of all people. The last thing he needed was for her to get all worried about him.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked again. The worry was clearly written on his face, and Sasuke found himself wondering how bad he looked.

Shrugging it off, he got up and looked around. He had been lying on a couch in a living room. It was a decently decorated room, not much to his tastes, but still nice.

"I have to go." Sasuke said quickly, looking for the door. There were three of them.

"Its that one." Sakura said, pointing to one of the doors, getting a somewhat sad look on her face. "Are you at least going to tell me what happened?" She was pouting. Damn it!! She was so fucking annoying sometimes.

"I got in a fight with Naruto." Sasuke said simply, before dashing for the door. He didn't want to have to answer any more questions.

"Naruto!?!?" Was Sakura's surprised response. "But- He didn't have a scratch on him!"

Sasuke ignored her and left the house. He was pissed now, and was going to see Naruto before they had to meet Kakashi for their training.

Naruto was fast asleep. He had been up incredibly late, silently cursing himself. He hadn't really wanted to take everything out on Sasuke, but he had started, and he couldn't stop. He heard the pounding on his front door in the depths of his dreams, but decided to ignore it and continue sleeping. It wasn't until he heard a loud crash and the door to his bedroom burst open that he jerked awake.

A very angry looking Sasuke was glaring at him, panting slightly. Naruto sat up slightly, giving him a curious look before laying back and turning away from him. He was in no mood for another confrontation with the Uchiha. He just wanted to sleep.

But Sasuke wasn't going to leave the blonde in peace. His voice was more than a little raised when he started throwing insults and accusations at his teammate.

"What the hell was that last night!?! How long have you been holding out like that during training!? And why the fuck did you take me to Sakura's of all places!?! Look at me damn it!!"

Naruto slowly turned over and stared strait at the raging boy that was standing across from him. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Sasuke that mad, for any reason. He also felt a fresh surge of guilt at the bruises he saw covering Sasuke's face and the split lip and the blood that was caked in the corner of his mouth. He still wasn't sure how he had managed to kick Sasuke's ass so bad.

"Well!?" Sasuke demanded again.

"Well what?" Naruto replied stupidly. Sasuke stayed still for a moment, but quickly launched himself at the other boy, landing a single punch right above his eye before Naruto had him pinned under him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Naruto spat. "You wanted to fight, so we fought! It's your own fault you lost!"

"You've been holding out!" Sasuke growled. "Have you ever wondered why Kakashi is always so frustrated with you!?!"

Naruto jumped up off his bed and off of Sasuke, once again revealing his naked body to the Uchiha. He grabbed a pillow to cover himself and glared down at the other boy, whose eyes had once again found Naruto's scarred hip.

"So what if I hold back!" Naruto snapped. "Its not like it's any of your business! Maybe I have other reasons than what you think! I'm not stupid! I know what you, Kakashi and Sakura think. I'm not reaching my potential, I'm not trying hard enough, I'm not- That's not it at all! Do you think I like being this strong!?! Do you think I like losing control like I did last night!?! Do you think I like taking my anger out on you!?!"

Sasuke was deathly quiet all through Naruto's angry rant. He was learning a great deal about the blonde he hadn't known before. It made sense to him that Naruto had been taking out his anger on him the night before. He had never pictured Naruto as the kind of person to lose control during a fight, and that surprised him. But what surprised him most was how much his teammate was aware of and how much crap the boy had been keeping hidden in his chest. He knew what it felt like to suppress emotions, and it sounded like Naruto had been doing so for a long time.

"And then you come along and it's so incredibly wrong that I hold back! But it's your ass I'm saving along with a crapload of other people who have no clue! Or if they do they hold it against me that I have the stupid problem in the first place! It's not my fault!" Naruto suddenly stopped shouting and averted his eyes from the other boy. He had said way more than he meant to. There was no telling what ideas Sasuke would pull from his shouted confession.

Sasuke's eyes were wide. He was fighting to gain back his composure. He had no idea what Naruto had meant, but he knew that the blonde hadn't meant to say it. Especially not to him.

"What- what problem?" Sasuke asked quietly. Naruto didn't answer. Instead he slowly backed out of the room and closed the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven 

Naruto couldn't believe he had gone off like that. He couldn't believe he had just spilled one of his big secrets to Sasuke. Granted, Sasuke didn't know what it meant, but if he asked the right person he would soon find out that the nine-tailed fox was in him.

If Naruto had been fully dressed, he would have fled his apartment. But he wasn't wearing anything, and all his clothes were in the bedroom where he had left Sasuke. And there was no way he was going back in there.

Instead, he went into the kitchen and leaned against the wall, letting himself slide to the floor, hugging the pillow for dear life. He was trying to hold back the tears, but he couldn't. All the self-control he had gotten from years of emotional seclusion seemed to be evaporating. He could no longer put on his mask whenever he needed to. Every flaw, every insecurity was starting to show through.

A strangled sob escaped his lips, and he quickly pressed his face into the pillow. He didn't want Sasuke to hear him. He didn't want Sasuke to see him cry.

But Sasuke heard him. He had just emerged from Naruto's bedroom and was staring looking around for where he was when he heard the stifled cry.

Guilt instantly washed over him. He had never heard Naruto cry. Not like this. He had shed a few tears for various reasons now and then, but this was different. He had always thought he was so strong, facing the world with everything he had. And he had found a way to crush that spirit that he had admired and envied so much. Wasn't he just a fantastic person?

Hesitantly, Sasuke made his way into the kitchen passed the wreckage of the front door. Naruto was crying into a pillow on the cold kitchen floor.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto snapped his head up to look at Sasuke. He was standing in the doorway, throwing him nervous glances. "For what?"

Sasuke looked into his tear filled eyes in confusion. It was his fault, wasn't it? Yeah, he didn't know what had triggered the tears, but he was sure it was his fault.

"I don't know, but I'm sorry." Sasuke replied at last. He walked a few steps closer to Naruto and dropped to his knees, awkwardly putting a hand on his teammates arm.

"It's not your fault." Naruto muttered. "It's mine."

As smart as Sasuke credited himself to be, he couldn't see Naruto's reasoning. "You're gonna have to explain that to me. How is it your fault?"

"It just is." Naruto replied tonelessly, refusing to meet Sasuke's eyes. "It always is."

Sasuke didn't respond to this. He wasn't quite sure of what to say. He had never been good at comforting other people. It definitely wasn't one of his talents.

And yet he still found himself putting a comforting arm around the blonde's shoulders and telling him that everything would be alright.

Naruto had stiffened when Sasuke's arm had made its way around his shoulders, and at the moment Naruto was all too aware of his lack of clothing. Trying to hide his blush, he struggled away from the Uchiha, trying and failing to keep himself sufficiently covered.

Sasuke had to admit. In the last 24 hours he had seem more of Naruto than he had ever wanted to see. And despite the blonde's efforts to hide the very visible blush on his cheeks, Sasuke noticed. Why was the idiot blushing?

He didn't want to know.

The silence between them was more than a little awkward as Sasuke looked up at his teammate, who was still resolutely avoiding eye contact. A million questions welled up in his head, questions he had never thought he'd ever want to know the answers to. Questions about Naruto's feelings and personal life.

Naruto was slowly backing out of the kitchen, the pillow now firmly pressed to his groin. He was greatly alarmed when Sasuke stood back up.

"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was calm and questioning.

Naruto didn't respond. He knew any response would be opening the door for any number of questions. Speaking of doors, his was in pieces. Now who could have done that?

Sasuke… 

Once again the anger flared up in him and finally met Sasuke's confused look with a glare.

"Great! Thanks a lot bastard! Now I have to fix the door."

Once again, Sasuke was shocked. The sudden change of emotions he had just witnessed was astounding. Anger, frustration, embarrassment, sadness, fear and then back to anger. What happened to his older, simpler emotions? What happened to the much easier to deal with annoyingness and stupidity?

"I- I didn't-" Sasuke didn't even know what he was going to say. He just felt the need to say something.

"Whatever Sasuke." Naruto snapped. "Why don't you just go away!?"

With that, Naruto backed the remaining distance into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him. Sasuke didn't move for a long while.

The clock hanging on the wall caught his attention. It was 10:30. Team seven was supposed to have met at the bridge a half hour ago.

Sasuke darted out of the apartment. He knew perfectly well that the odds that Kakashi would actually be there already were slim, but he had only been late one other time, and that had been because of an attack on the village. Arg! How did he lose track of time like that!?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight 

Sakura was more than a little annoyed when 10 o'clock came around and she was the only one waiting at the bridge. She was even more annoyed when Kakashi was the next person to show up, quite possibly making a record for only being 15 minutes late. By the time Sasuke showed up without Naruto over 45 minutes late her patience was all but worn out.

Kakashi was very curious about the fight that Sasuke and Naruto had. He seemed to already know a lot about it, but Sasuke grudgingly told him the story anyways. Well, most of the story at least. He left out the part about exactly why Naruto was so mad at him.

"Wow! You must be a master of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time if you got Naruto that mad!" Kakashi said happily. He almost felt as if Sasuke was exaggerating when he described just how bad Naruto had kicked his ass but was shaken from his thoughts by the arrival of the blonde.

Sakura instantly dealt him a heavy punch to the head. "You're over an hour late! Where the hell were you!?"

Naruto smiled widely and pulled a little box out of his pocket. "I got something for you, Sakura-Chan!"

Kakashi sighed, while looking at the blonde quite suspiciously, as if trying to decipher any hidden emotions that were possibly showing. There weren't any as far as he could see.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was glaring at the boy in annoyance and disbelief. How could he go from being so sad and down to suddenly being all happy and perky? Sasuke didn't think it was possible, even for Naruto. This led him to believe that Naruto was either faking it now, or he had been faking it that morning. And quite frankly, he didn't believe Naruto could cry on cue.

So then why was he acting so happy if he really wasn't? Sasuke shook his head in frustration and disbelief as Sakura cautiously opened the little box. In it was a seashell.

"Its an abalone shell!" Naruto said proudly.

It was obvious that Sakura was impressed against her will. "Its beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Naruto chirped, turning to Kakashi and Sasuke. Sasuke met his eyes for an instant and was sure he could see the still present anger, hidden deeply below the surface.

"Well, Naruto, I am very curious. What did Sasuke say to you to make you so angry last night?"

Naruto just smiled. "Oh, nothing really. I was just in a bad mood." _Stupid Kakashi. Why don't you mind your own business?_

Kakashi continued to scrutinize him again for a moment before he cleared his throat. "We're going to do some different training today. We will be having a friendly little sparring match against Gai sensei's team."

Naruto and Sakura both froze. Lee, Neji and Tenten. Oh great.

_Lee will be horrible! He won't stop trying to impress me the whole time!!!_ Sakura thought desperately.

_Not bushy brows!!! Or Neji! I don't know what he has stuck up his ass but I'm not in the mood to pull it out today!!!_ Naruto glared at the ground, before forcing his smile back to his face.

Sasuke was still watching the blond closely and hadn't quite registered what Kakashi had said until the Sensei said "Come on! We were supposed to meet Gai twenty minutes ago!" And they started on their way.

Sasuke was tempted to demand exactly why they were supposed to meet Gai, but he didn't want anyone to know he hadn't been paying attention. And by the looks on his teammates faces he could tell it wasn't going to be pleasant.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine 

In reality, sparring with the other team wasn't bad. It was a nice change from the ordinary.

Except Kakashi didn't see it as a change at all. Naruto was still holding back. Something that everyone seemed to notice. He was just barely holding his ground against Neji.

The first fight had been with Sasuke and Lee, and had ended in a draw. As no jutsus were allowed it had been unimaginable speed and strength against unimaginable speed and strength. After three hours both Gai and Kakashi had called a tie.

And now, Neji and Naruto were fighting. Gai was simply thrilled that _his_ Neji was almost beating the snot out of the loud-mouthed, orange clad student of Kakashi's. But Neji was irritated beyond belief.

"You're holding back!" He snarled as Naruto barely dodged a kick and easily dodged the punch Naruto threw at him. "Don't insult me by going easy!"

Naruto ignored him and they continued this charade for a very long time. If they had cared to, the fight could have lasted well past nightfall and fatigue would have decided the winner, but by sunset everyone else was bored out of their minds.

Neji was pissed by the time the two senseis decided to call it a draw. He knew that Naruto was capable of a lot more than what he had shown that day, and for the life of him he couldn't see why he wouldn't just let go and give it his all.

Sasuke had admitted that Naruto beat him in a fight the previous night, and Neji found himself jealous that the Uchiha had actually been faced with a challenge.

"Well, it looks like Kakashi's great students aren't that great after all!" Gai was gloating. "A little more training and we'll have you beat."

There was a lot of sighing and eye rolling at this.

"You know that sparring only shows hand to hand combat skills and if any jutsus were to be used all bets are off, right?" Kakashi said, keeping a smile on his face.

The two sensei's walked off bickering, leaving their students standing there awkwardly.

"Well, I have to go." Sakura said quietly and left the group in an even more awkward silence. Tenten soon followed.

The guys stood in silence for a few more minutes before Lee darted off, shouting over his shoulder, "I must go meet Gai sensei. He must have forgotten that we are having dinner together!"

Neji and Sasuke exchanged looks and walked away without saying a word. Naruto pouted for a minute before hopping up into a tree and lounging on a wide branch. He had no intent of going home.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten 

The apology between Neji and Sasuke for the fight they had the previous night was understood without speaking. So they were back to enjoying each other's presence without all the inconvenience that other people went through.

They were at Neji's small apartment. He had finally moved out of the Hyuuga manor about a year before, and enjoyed the freedom he had, although he would often stay at the manor for a few days at a time whenever his uncle was away. Hiashi seemed to think that Hinata needed looking after.

And Neji had to say he agreed somewhat. Not because of Hinata, but because of her idiotic friends. Kiba was easily the worst. He always had some stupid idea to "have fun" and would have gotten Hinata in more than a little trouble on several occasions if Neji hadn't put a stop to it.

Neji and Sasuke were sitting on opposite ends of the couch in silence. It was always quiet when they hung out. But that was the way they liked it. No needless forced conversations. If they had something to say, they'd say it.

There was a knock on the door. Neji looked a little annoyed, but stood up to answer it. It was his uncle.

"Hi Neji."

Neji didn't reply. Although the man had been treating him a lot better since the chunin exams, Neji still held a grudge against the man.

"Oh, you have company." He was just a little surprised to see the Uchiha sitting there on the couch. But then again it was well known that Sasuke was just as cold, if not colder than Neji, so it should be of no surprise that the two were friends.

"I have a favor to ask."

Neji nodded, still not saying a word.

"I have to go on a mission next week. I'll be gone for quite a while. I wanted to ask if you would stay with Hinata?"

Neji nodded again. Hiashi was about to leave when Neji spoke. "Then wont you miss Hinata's birthday?"

His uncle looked both sad and surprised. "Yeah." Then he left.

"Great." Neji said huffily as he sat back down. "Kiba better not try to pull any of his stupid stunts."

Sasuke smirked. "Its Kiba. Of course he will."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven 

Naruto was dreaming. He knew he was. He wouldn't have been face to face with the nine-tailed fox otherwise.

But that didn't make it any less disturbing.

The demon was smirking at him. "You know you want to! It feels so good when you use my power, doesn't it?"

"No! It doesn't!" Naruto replied. He was lying, and he knew the fox could tell.

"Don't bother trying to lie to me. I can see your thoughts!" The fox snarled. "Don't be afraid. Harness my power. Let me live again."

"No!" Naruto was panicked. "I won't let you!!"

"Its not for long. I just want to feel the pleasure of battle, the pleasure of _killing_!"

Naruto could feel the fox's chakra seeping through him. He struggled with himself. His blood was pounding in his veins.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!" Naruto jerked awake and jumped to his feet, only to fall out of the tree he had been sleeping. He had never bothered going home that night and had just let himself fall into what he had hoped would be a restful sleep.

Staggering to his feet, he looked around wearily, half expecting to see the nine-tailed fox sneering at him. But all he saw was the darkened forest and the empty training ground. He had no idea what time it was.

"Stupid." He said quietly to himself, smacking himself firmly on the forehead. He slowly started walking home.

Sasuke stayed at Neji's until late. It was almost 3:00. He knew he would regret it in the morning when he had to spar with either Lee or Neji.

Stopping and taking a deep breath, he looked around. The town looked like a ghost town this late at night. He liked it this way. He slowly continued walking back to his house.

Someone else was walking down the road towards him. He briefly wondered who else would be out that late when he recognized the chakra. It was Naruto.

Naruto wasn't paying much attention as he walked to his apartment. He was too busy dwelling on the dream. What the nine-tailed fox had said disturbed him. But now it also made sense as to why he lost control when he had used the fox's chakra. Because the fox was blood thirsty.

He noticed Sasuke and stopped walking just in time to avoid running into him. He glanced at his teammate, more than a little surprised to see him out. Sasuke had never struck him as a stay-up-all-night kind of guy.

"You're out late." Naruto said, letting his habitual smile spread across his face.

"So are you." Sasuke surveyed the blonde. He looked worried, and he had leaves and twigs in his hair and was covered in dirt. "Where have you been?"

Naruto contemplated his answer. It wouldn't hurt to tell him _where _he was, would it? "I was at the training ground. I kinda fell asleep." He chuckled a little.

"Hn." Came Sasuke's reply. "You look like you fell out of a tree." He started to walk passed the blonde.

"Hehe." Naruto put his hand behind his head and was actually truly embarrassed when he replied. "That's because I did."

Sasuke stopped and looked at him again. Although falling out of a tree did seem very Naruto-ish, it came as a surprise. Naruto didn't just fall out of trees, even if he was sleeping. He had been on enough missions with the blonde to know that much.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably under Sasuke's gaze. He wasn't sure what was going through the others mind, but he was sure it wasn't necessarily a good thing. And he found himself wondering just why Sasuke had been paying so much attention to him lately.

"Hn." Sasuke finally looked away and continued walking. He had been very tempted to ask what was on the blonde's mind, but had refrained. He didn't really want to know and sure as hell wasn't going to let his curiosity get the better of him. He heard Naruto sigh behind him and his shuffling footsteps continued in the opposite direction.

Naruto was more than grateful that Sasuke hadn't asked any questions. There was no way he could have thought up excuses with his mind so preoccupied.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve 

"I don't know what to do." Kakashi admitted to Gai. They were both on their way to the training grounds to meet their students. Kakashi had made them both considerably late, but neither were in a hurry. "No matter what I say to him, Naruto always holds back."

Gai laughed. "Maybe he's not holding back. Maybe he really is giving it his all!" He would love to think that Kakashi's precious student wasn't all he was cracked up to be.

"No, because we've all seen him do so much more. Its like he's scared to push himself unless he really needs to." Kakashi shook his head sadly.

Gai thought for a minute. "Why don't you challenge him. He can't possibly beat you if he's holding out. And make him mad. I used to do that with Lee when I thought he was slacking."

Kakashi secretly didn't want to take the chance that Naruto would turn out anything like Lee, but had to admit that Gai's idea was a good one. After Tenten and Sakura sparred he would challenge the blonde to a sparring match.

They reached the training ground and were met with six pairs of angry eyes. Although team seven was used to Kakashi's lateness, Gai was never later than on time.

So without any further delays, Sakura and Tenten were set against each other. It was a one-sided battle. Tenten had the obvious advantage, but neither girl came close to the level that all the guys were at.

While they fought, Gai and Kakashi stood off to the side, having a whispered discussion, and Neji, Lee, Sasuke and Naruto were all very curious as to what it was about.

"They're plotting something! And I bet its not gonna be fun." Naruto insisted.

"I have to agree." Lee added. "They are not normally so friendly. Unless they suddenly developed a much stronger bond, they are up to something."

Sasuke and Neji both remained silent.

"Hmph. Whatever." Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Whatever it is, I can take it!"

"Maybe they have learned from us, their students and have resolved their differences to become close friends!" Lee said loudly, throwing his arms around both Neji and Sasuke. "Sometimes it is the students who teach the teachers."

Neji and Sasuke simultaneously pushed out of Lee's grasp just as a shriek was heard from one of the girls.

Sakura went flying through the air and landed in a heap on the ground. She wasn't moving.

"Oh no!!! I think I hit her a little too hard!" She rushed to Sakura's side. Kakashi and Gai came out of their conversation and went over to the girls.

"She'll be all right." Kakashi said. "Just keep an eye on her until she wakes up."

They left Tenten with Sakura and made their way over to where the boy's were standing.

"Now's you're chance." Gai told Kakashi. "There couldn't be a better time."

"Okay, Naruto!" Kakashi said gleefully. "You're going to be sparring with me."

"WHAT!!!!" It wasn't just Naruto's voice that rang through the air. "Why!?!"

"Because I said."

Naruto shot a confused look at the other chunin around him and received the same look in return, even from Neji and Sasuke. Gai was smirking.

"Come on Naruto!" Kakashi's voice taunted him. "What are you afraid of?"

Naruto suppressed a shudder as well as the urge to scream out exactly what it was he was afraid of and slowly went to face his sensei on the training field.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen 

"You can do better than that!" Kakashi gloated as Naruto sprang at him and missed. So far Kakashi had been toying with the boy and had landed a few good blows on him, but Naruto had yet to hit him back.

_No I can't!!!!! _Naruto thought viciously. _The Nine-Tailed Fox can!!!!_

He couldn't use the Fox's Chakra. If he did, the results could be disastrous. And as angry as Kakashi was making him, he didn't want to hurt the Sensei.

"People are watching Naruto!" Kakashi's voiced hissed in his ear. "Are you going to let them see you get beat?" Naruto turned quickly but Kakashi was already gone.

"He's fucking with him." Sasuke said quietly to Neji, watching Naruto pause and look around desperately for Kakashi. He seemed to be shaking pretty bad. Sakura had finally woken up and was watching the fight in confusion.

"You're not gonna ever amount to anything." Kakashi said, loud enough for everyone to hear as he suddenly seemed to appear in front of Naruto and punched him hard in the stomach. It was by far the hardest punch yet and Naruto went flying. He landed on unsure feet.

_Are you just gonna take this!?! _ A loud, snarling voice said in Naruto's head. _He's embarrassing you, and making fun of you!! Let me help you!_

"No!!" Naruto snapped out loud, shaking his head and charging Kakashi once again. It was useless, and he knew it. Kakashi easily sent him flying into the dirt.

"Why is he letting Kakashi humiliate him like that?" Neji hissed in annoyance. He couldn't understand Naruto at all. All he knew was that if he had Naruto's power he wouldn't hesitate to use it. Especially not if someone was making a fool out of him.

Sasuke shook his head. He had an idea why Naruto was holding back. Or rather he had heard from Naruto why he was holding back, but he didn't share this with Neji.

Naruto shakily pushed himself up off the ground, only to have his feet kicked back out from under him.

"Get up!" Kakashi demanded. "Or are you really this weak!?!"

Don't let him talk to you like that!!!! 

"You're a disappointment."

You know you can beat his smirking ass to the ground!!! Just do it!!! 

"SHUT UP!!!!!" Naruto screamed, jumping to his feet and grabbing handfuls of his hair. He could feel the huge amounts of chakra the fox was offering, the insane amount that he could have in an instant. All he had to do was reach out and take it.

Or he didn't even have to do that. The fox was giving it to him, shoving it into his hands.

Kakashi paused when Naruto screamed at him to shut up. Or he thought the blonde was screaming at him. Maybe he went to far.

Sasuke was watching with narrowed eyes. He knew that Naruto was having some sort of mental struggle, and he was pretty sure he knew what was coming. "Oh shit." He said simply, and Neji and Lee looked glanced at him. But he didn't take his eyes off of the fight or off of Naruto.

Kakashi was about to apologize to Naruto. He looked upset. Well at least that's what Kakashi deducted from his body language. He couldn't see his face at that angle.

Naruto couldn't hold out any longer. He let the chakra flow through his body, as well as huge waves of anger and a strong bloodlust that didn't belong to him.

Before Kakashi could make another move, Naruto sprung at him, his fist coming within an inch of the sensei's face before he disappeared and reappeared on Kakashi's left side, landing a blow on Kakashi's jaw. He then appeared behind Kakashi and kicked him hard through the air.

The only thought that could go through Kakashi's head was _FUCK!!!_

Sasuke was the only one who didn't have a look of utter surprise on his face upon seeing Naruto kick and punch Kakashi all around the training ground like a pinball. He suppressed a shiver at the thought that just two days before he had been the human pinball.

"That's incredible!" Gai nearly screamed. Both Sakura and Tenten were gasping at regular intervals, sounding very much like leaking tires. Neji, while showing initial signs of shock, had gained his composure, but Lee was near fainting.

"Such speed, such strength! And here I thought Naruto was simply another shinobi! He is a true genius!!!" There were tears going down Lee's face. "And he has always been so underestimated!!"

But no one was paying any attention to Lee as Naruto sprung high into the air with a very shocked Kakashi. No one really saw how, but Kakashi was driven into the ground face first, and Naruto landed next to him.

At first, no one moved. No one spoke.

"That was…" Gai's eyes widened, "…AMAZING!!!" He pranced over to where Naruto was standing. "You, Uzumaki, are my new rival- UUMPH!!!" His speech was cut short as Naruto kicked him hard in the stomach and sent him flying. He hit a tree with a sickening thump.

Naruto was shaking again. His hands once again grabbed handfuls of his hair as he sank to his knees.

_You know you don't want to stop!!! There are plenty more people around. Just take your anger out on them!!!_ Naruto pulled harder on his hair, and the voice retreated to the back of his mind, along with the chakra. His vision cleared, and he saw Kakashi, lying face down in the dirt right in front of him.

What had he done?

Everyone jumped when Naruto scrambled back to his feet, nearly falling back over. He shot a scared look at everyone before he darted away from the training ground.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I knew he was holding back, but I had no idea he was holding back that much." Sakura said quietly as she tried to wake Kakashi. Neji and Sasuke were standing next to her and Lee and Tenten were trying to wake Gai.

"Hmm?" Kakashi groaned as Sakura shook his shoulder continuously. "I don't want to leave. Icha Icha…"

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura shook his shoulder harder. "Wake up!"

Kakashi opened his eyes and looked around. "Where did all the women go?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You lost the fight, Kakashi Sensei."

"Fight?" Kakashi was still looking around hopefully for the women he had obviously been dreaming about.

"The fight with Naruto." Sakura was starting to get annoyed.

"Oh." Kakashi was silent for a moment, but then jumped to his feet. "Where is Naruto?"

"He ran off after knocking out Gai." Sakura explained calmly, glancing over to where Lee and Tenten were still trying to wake their sensei.

"We have to find him." Kakashi said briefly. "Sakura, you check his apartment and the ramen shop! Neji-"

"Count me out." Neji said and walked away before he could be assigned to the search party. Like he would waste his time searching for the moron.

"Fine. Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice had a slight pleading in it. "Can you take the north side of the village?"

Sasuke was tempted to follow Neji's example and just go about his own business, but the worried look in Kakashi's eye made him decide otherwise. Kakashi was usually an easy-going guy, and if he looked worried, there was really something to worry about.

"Fine." Sasuke took off without another word.

"Wait! You cannot just leave Gai Sensei! He is injured!" Lee shouted as Kakashi and Sakura also left.

"Take him to the hospital." Tenten suggested to Lee as she too got up and left.

"Do not worry sensei!" Lee told Gai as he hoisted him over his shoulder. "You are safe with me!"

Sasuke was quickly losing his patience. It didn't take him long at all to deduct that Naruto wasn't anywhere in the village. So where was the idiot?

Stopping on a rooftop, Sasuke tried to think like Naruto. But he couldn't. He had no idea what went through the blonde idiots head.

So what did he know then? He knew that Naruto was upset. So where would someone like Naruto go when they're upset? Probably somewhere they could be alone. Great. That could be just about anywhere.

Sasuke sighed and threw his head back in frustration. Where did _he_ go when he was upset? His house. But that still didn't help him.

He stared absentmindedly at the huge stone faces of the four Hokage's that looked down on the village, and something attracted his attention. Since when did the fourth hokage have a zit on his nose?

Upon closer inspection, Sasuke confirmed that it wasn't a zit, but a person. And he was betting that person was Naruto.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Naruto was lounging on the big stone face of the fourth hokage. He was effortlessly using his chakra to keep from falling and was fighting to stop the tears from flowing. But it was a battle he couldn't win. The tears just kept coming.

Naruto was mad. Mad at Kakashi, mad at the Fox, and mad at himself. But as much as he had been egged on by the other two, it was still his fault for losing control. It was his fault for letting his anger get the best of him.

And now, who knew how Kakashi was faring, or Gai for that matter? He sincerely hoped that the body he had seen in front of him was still breathing. He hadn't stayed long enough to find out. The site of everyone else's shocked expression's had sent him running.

He couldn't see how he could go back and face them after that. Not when they all had seen what he was capable of.

Someone was approaching. Immediately, his first instinct was to run for it. But he forced himself to stay put. He would have to face what he had done sooner or later. He might as well get it out of the way.

Sasuke jumped down onto the huge stone face and anchored himself to the rock with his chakra. Naruto glanced at him for a second, and then looked away.

"Kakashi's looking for you." Sasuke told the blonde.

Naruto was instantly flooded with relief. Kakashi wasn't only alive, but he was up and about. That was a good thing. He didn't let these emotions show through to Sasuke though.

"He's worried about you." Sasuke continued when Naruto didn't respond. He felt a stab of annoyance with his teammate.

"He shouldn't be." Naruto said quietly. "He shouldn't be worried about me. He should be worried about everyone around me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at this. "Don't flatter yourself. Just because you can sometimes lose it like that doesn't mean you're dangerous all the time."

Naruto turned his angry glare on the Uchiha. "You don't know what you're talking about, so why don't you just shut the hell up!!"

"What's there to know?" Sasuke replied coolly. "You got angry and let loose. It happens."

Naruto was shaking with anger. "You have no clue what its like- I can't let it happen again!!! But I'm too weak!! I can't stop him!!!"

Sasuke was sure that Naruto had once again said more than he meant to say, and it peaked Sasuke's curiosity. Who couldn't he stop?

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked quietly. Naruto didn't reply. Big surprise there, huh?

"Hello! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!" Kakashi suddenly appeared on Naruto's other side and both boys nearly jumped out of their skin. He smiled widely under his mask. "It is a beautiful day to be sitting on a hokage's face."

Any other time, this comment would have sent Naruto into uncontrollable fits of laughter. At that moment, though, he was still too strung out.

"I see we aren't in a very talkative mood." Kakashi continued. "That's okay. I'll wait." He stretched out luxuriously and leaned back against the giant face. Anyone in the village who happened to look up at the hokage's faces would have seen a very strange sight.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen 

Naruto fidgeted nervously. He was too ashamed to speak to Kakashi, and too stubborn to even try in front of Sasuke. And the silence was killing him.

Sasuke was wondering if he should leave. He wasn't sure how long they had been clinging to the side of the mountain, but he knew he'd rather be using his chakra to do something else.

Kakashi was getting genuinely bored. He took out the most recent edition of Icha Icha Paradise and continued reading from where he had last left off.

This movement brought Naruto out of his daze. He quickly glanced from Kakashi to Sasuke before jumping back up to the top of the mountain and slowly walking away.

Kakashi sighed and looked at Sasuke. "He's taking this pretty hard. I don't think he'll talk to me. Maybe I could get Iruka to talk to him…" He trailed off thoughtfully before turning back to his book. "This really is a nice place to relax."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and left the older man with his perverted book. He definitely had no reason to stay now.

Naruto was slowly walking through town. The news of his fight with Kakashi seemed to have already spread through the town. He was receiving glares and frightened looks wherever he turned. But he wasn't sure if he had always been getting these looks and was just now noticing or if they were newly earned because of the fight. Either way, he wanted nothing more than to just melt into the ground.

He bumped into someone, or rather someone bumped into him. It was an older woman. She was with an old man, whom Naruto assumed was her husband.

"I'm sorry." Naruto muttered softly.

The old woman gave him a friendly smile and started to reply, "It's okay dear…" but her voice trailed off and her eyes widened. Her husband quickly ushered her off, whispering just loud enough for Naruto to hear. "That there is that demon boy! The one who attacked Kakashi and Gai and beat'm too!"

Naruto felt sick. So everyone knew. He hadn't thought there was anything worse than the real story getting spread around but the exaggerations made it worse beyond belief.

"Damnit." Naruto hissed softly to himself, avoiding everyone else's gaze as he quickly made his way to his apartment. He ignored the still broken door. After so many years of trying to overcome all the hatred he faced because of the damn fox, and now it was worse than it had ever been. "Damnit!"

_Ahhh… don't be so cranky._ The voice echoed inside his head. _After all, they wouldn't **dare** treat you so bad if they knew what you **could **do. _

"SHUT UP!!!!" Naruto yanked roughly on his hair. "SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"

Silence hung for a second, both in his apartment and in his head. Then he heard the smug laughter. _Hehehehehe. You think that after so many years of being confined to my own head I'm gonna stay out of yours? No. I'm just barely finding enough room to stretch out my legs the tiniest bit, there's no way I'm going to stop before I can pull a complete jail break. And when I get out, guess who's first on my list?_

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. Images of the Nine Tailed Fox being turned loose on Konoha flooded his brain, as well as a fresh wave of panic. What if the next time he lost control he couldn't get it back? Worse! What if he didn't lose it! What if the fox just reached out and took it? Just took the control he had left!?

He couldn't let that happen. Not when he knew how to stop it.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen 

Sasuke stopped and listened to someone else's conversation. He didn't normally eavesdrop, but it was the third time he had overheard someone mention "the demon who fought and beat Kakashi." At first, he had shaken it off as a rumor. Of course no one could believe that Naruto Uzumaki had beaten the famous Copy Nin.

But as he passed more people, he unwillingly caught more bits of conversations.

"That demon boy should never have been allowed to become a ninja! And we've trusted him all of these years. After seeing him at those chunin exams years ago I was convinced that he was living a completely separate life from the Fox, except for that amazing display of chakra. But if he's going off on his own teammates…"

Sasuke stopped, listening hard, but it was too hard to pick out the rest of the conversation from the noise of everyone else.

Demon? Naruto? No! He couldn't be!!

_Ahh… but just think of all the time's he's had such **miraculous** victories_ the small voice in his head taunted. _Where else could all that extra strength come from?_

Sasuke shook his head. It was possible that Naruto did really possess that kind of strength on his own, but the possibility that a demon was contributing made more sense. Just look at what Gaara had become…

Sasuke mentally slapped himself. Naruto was nothing like Gaara. One look and that was obvious. And even if he had a demon inside of him, he was doing everything he could to fight it.

"Of course!" Sasuke really smacked himself on the head this time. Naruto had almost let it slip! He just hadn't been able to put two and two together. Until now.

Without further hesitation he darted down the street, nearly knocking over an old couple in his haste.

Naruto's door had been leaned haphazardly back in place. An angry letter from the landlord was taped to it, saying that if he didn't fix the door by the next day he was going to be kicked out. Sasuke felt another surge of guilt.

Pushing the guilt aside, along with the door, he quietly stepped into the apartment.

A frustrated yell came from the bathroom, and he quickly darted in.

Naruto was on the floor. Beside him were various shurikan and kunai and he was desperately slashing at his forearms with one of the shurikan. Sasuke gasped and tackled the blonde, wrenching the weapon out of his hand and grabbing his wrist to assess the damage.

The cuts and slashes healed before his eyes, causing a louder gasp to escape. In about a minute all that was left was a collection of scars.

Sasuke was sent flying off his distressed teammate, who grabbed another shurikan from the floor and this time aimed for his throat. He squeezed his eye shut.

"NO!!!" Sasuke tackled him once again, prying the weapon out of his hand and flinging all things sharp away from them as he wrestled with the blonde.

"GET OFF!!!" Naruto screamed, trying to shove the Uchiha off him. Sasuke wouldn't budge, and instead slapped him hard on the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?!" Sasuke demanded. He was now straddling Naruto and had his hands pinned on either side of his head. They both were panting.

"I can't do it!" The blonde continued to struggle, this time with less resolve. "He wont let me!"

Naruto heard the evil snicker in his brain again and let his body go limp. Tears silently slid down his cheeks, and he was once again refusing to look Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke stared down at his teammate with narrowed eyes. "What kind of bullshit was that!?!" His voice was low and dangerous. He didn't move from his position in case the blonde made another attempt to take his own life. "You scared of a few people talking bad about you? Scared of a little demon?"

Naruto shook his head, still not struggling. "So you know about the Nine Tailed Fox." His voice was far calmer than it should have been. "You still don't get it."

_He won't get it. He can't._ The voice taunted in Naruto's head. He scrunched his eyes and tried to block it out.

"It's not about me." Naruto's voice was still quiet. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to budge until he was sure that Naruto wouldn't try anything.

Naruto wasn't about to either. He had already tried. A few times. And all that he had managed to do was cause himself pain and lose a little blood before the fox healed him.

Sasuke experimentally loosened his grip on Naruto's wrist. When Naruto didn't react, he got to his feet and pulled Naruto off the floor.

"If its not about you, then who is it about!? It's your life you're trying to take. It can't be about anyone else." Sasuke really didn't mean to use such a know-all tone of voice, but it had just come out that way.

Again, Naruto shook his head. "It's not about me. It's about them."

"Why should you care!? Let them think what they want to think!"

"You still don't get it." Naruto said sadly, still avoiding Sasuke's eyes. "I don't care what they say. They've always said it, and they always will. What I do care about is whether they're right or not."

Sasuke still didn't understand what Naruto meant, and was more than a little annoyed at the feeling of confusion.

"They've always said that the Nine Tailed Fox is a murderer, and that even though he was sealed away, it wasn't safe, _I_ wasn't safe. Well before, when I had never tapped into the fox's chakra it was true. But lately, its been working both ways. I can use his chakra, but if I get to far, he can use it too, through me. He can never completely take over, but he can make me do what _he_ wants."

Sasuke froze again. While the initial shock of finding that Naruto had a demon in him had passed, and he had almost been ready to accept the fact that the demon was none other than the infamous Nine Tailed Fox, what Naruto had just told him was downright alarming.

"H-have you told anyone else?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"No." Naruto still wouldn't look him in the eye.

"You should tell Kakashi."

Naruto looked up in alarm. "No! I can't tell anyone! And you can't either! Please! I never meant for you to find out, but you came in at the wrong time and I couldn't just not give you an explanation!" The desperation in his voice was almost unbearable.

"Alright." Sasuke agreed almost immediately, before he had a chance to think it over. He didn't know why either. He just felt like Naruto had trusted him, and he didn't want to break that trust. It had never mattered to him at all before, and he couldn't see why it mattered then. It just did.

Naruto was so surprised that Sasuke had agreed to keep this secret, such a huge secret, that he had actually looked the Uchiha in the eye. His face was still as unreadable as ever. He quickly looked away again, still riddled with shame and embarrassment, but feeling the relief that he had finally confessed his problem to someone. Even if that someone was the person he had least expected to spill his guts to.

The silence between them was getting awkward.

Sasuke turned to leave, but abruptly turned around after only three steps. "You better not try anything stupid like that again! And don't you dare pull that _Oh, I'm so weak_ excuse! I know you better than that!"

Naruto winced inwardly at Sasuke's scolding. Under the harsh voice, however, there was a deeper meaning. He was really saying _Don't you ever scare me like that again_. And Naruto took comfort in that thought. With that comfort, came a little piece of mind that he needed very much.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen 

Sasuke was halfway back to his house before he realized the stupidity of what he had just done. He had left a guy who had just tried to kill himself alone.

Really, no one could blame him. He wasn't really adept in the friends department, and had even less skills when it came to caring. The worry he felt for the blonde was already driving him up the wall.

Turning abruptly mid-step, he narrowly avoided a collision with Kakashi. The sun was sinking, and Sasuke suspected that the cliff face wasn't as comfortable as it had been an hour ago.

"Changing directions, now are we?" Kakashi didn't lift his eyes from his book once. Sasuke just shrugged in response and walked around the man.

"Oh. We don't have practice tomorrow." Kakashi added as he too continued walking. "Tell Naruto, will ya?"

Sasuke swung around and was immediately on the defensive. "Who said I was going to see Naruto?" He demanded, startling a few people who were passing by. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen.

Cursing himself mentally, he walked the rest of the way to Naruto's apartment.

Naruto was asleep when he got there, although how he could sleep when he didn't have a door was beyond Sasuke's understanding. What if someone just walked right in? Like Sasuke had just done? He shook his head. Naruto was a mystery, that was for sure.

Not sure of what to do now that he was there, and not wanting to wake his teammate up when he was sleeping so peacefully, Sasuke threw himself down on the couch. He had no intentions of sleeping, not when the broken door loomed only a few feet away, but some way or another, amidst the silence, he fell asleep.

Naruto slept soundly most of the night, only woken once by the urge to pee. When he was coming out of the bathroom, shivering slightly at the cold against his bare skin (He was actually wearing his boxers tonight. The broken door as well as unexpected visits from Sasuke had at least put that much sense into his head.) he saw an arm flung carelessly over the back of the couch.

Upon observing the slumbering Uchiha, Naruto noticed the peace that seemed to grace his normally scowling features. He wasn't frowning or glaring. He was just resting. Naruto smiled and grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and carefully covered his friend without waking him up.

It wasn't until Naruto had crawled back into bed and was almost asleep again that he realized he had thought of Sasuke as a friend. It was the first time since they had known each other that he really felt that Sasuke was really a friend. It was the first time the Uchiha had given him reason to think so. And with that thought, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Twenty 

When Sasuke woke up the sun was shining. He would have just rolled over and gone back to sleep if he hadn't noticed that it was too bright. His room was almost always dark, as he kept the windows closed and covered most of the time. So where was he?

He sat up and groggily looked around. He was on the couch in Naruto's apartment. How on earth did he get there?

Then he remembered the events of yesterday, and the instead of wondering how he got there, he was wondering why he was still there.

_You obviously fell asleep_ said the little voice in his head. _Nice of Naruto to cover you up, don't you think?_ He nodded to the empty room, yawning widely. It was one of his own thoughts so he obviously thought it was nice.

He got up and immediately regretted leaving the warmth of the blanket. He always hated leaving his bed, no matter what the circumstance. A piece of paper fluttered to the ground at his feet. Looking at it closer, he saw it was a note for him.

_**Sasuke,**_

_**Rise and shine sleeping beauty!!! I went into town to get a door before the landlord lady decides to kick me out like she's been threatening to do for years. Help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen (if there even is anything, I haven't been shopping in a while). I'll be back later. **_

_**Naruto**_

Sasuke read it through a few times. It almost didn't sound like Naruto. They had never gotten to be close. They hadn't even qualified as friends until the day before. But still, Sasuke found himself thinking about what kind of food Naruto might have in his kitchen and if any of it would be edible. He also considered just crawling back into his warm cocoon on the couch and sleeping for a few more hours.

He had just curled back up on the couch, fully set in his intentions to get some more sleep when Sakura came running down the hall and burst through the already broken door.

"Naruto- Sasuke!?! What are you doing here!?" Great. Now he was going to have to explain it to her.

"I was _trying_ to sleep." Sasuke muttered, sitting up again.

"Here? What's wrong with your place?" Sakura asked. "Where's Naruto?"

"He went to buy a new door." Sasuke avoided the other question. "The land lady threatened to kick him out."

Sakura nodded, looking at the broken door. It looked more like shredded wheat than a door by that time. "So then why are you here?"

Sasuke was spared finding an answer by the rather loud arrival of Naruto, who was lugging a door up the hall.

"Almost… There… Just gotta…" He dragged the door into the apartment and leaned it against the wall. "Oh! Hi Sakura!"

"Hi Naruto." Sakura didn't have the same enthusiasm as Naruto did.

"Oh, Hi Sasuke! You're still here?"

Sasuke nodded, staring down the blonde. There was that fake happy exterior again. It seemed like the more he found out about Naruto, the more visible the mask became to him. He wondered if anyone else had ever seen past the invisible mask the blonde always seemed to be wearing.

"I had a hard time finding a door that looked like the old one. The landlord lady's a cow, and I know she'd complain if I got a door that wasn't almost matching the others." Naruto explained as he grabbed a screwdriver from the kitchen and slowly screwed the new door onto the hinges. "So now she can't complain!"

He was very cheerful as he made sure the door was securely on the hinges. "There. As good as new!" He swung the door shut, but instead of closing it swung all the way out the other way into the hallway. It was too small for the door frame.

The smile slipped off Naruto's face. "Oh crap."

Sakura was laughing so hard she couldn't stay standing, and even Sasuke let a small smile show before he hid it behind his normal, uncaring look. The lost look on Naruto's face as he discovered that not all doors were the same size was priceless.

"Uzumaki!!!" A harsh voice carried down the hall, and Naruto visibly flinched. A stout, gray haired woman appeared in the doorway, a look of utter disapproval on her face.

"Is this some sort of joke, Uzumaki!?!" She demanded, eyeing the small door with distaste. "Is this supposed to be funny!?!"

"No!! I- I uh- went looking for a door, and I found one that was almost the same as the other doors!! It was the same kind of wood!!! I didn't even know door's could be different sizes!! Honest!!" Naruto was visibly trembling.

"Haven't you ever heard of measuring!?!" The landlady snarled. "I want you out of here in two weeks!!!"

"No! Wait!! I'll get another door!! And I'll measure it and everything!!! I can do it right!!! Just give me another chance!!"

The landlady smirked at him, obviously enjoying the torture she was causing. "Sorry Uzumaki, but this was your last chance." She didn't sound sorry at all. "I want you out in two weeks."

"You can't just throw him out!" Sasuke said quietly. He stood up and walked right up to the landlady, crossing his arms. "It was an honest mistake. He doesn't deserve to be thrown out on the street because of it."

"Don't cross your arms at me, brat!" The landlady spat- literally. Sasuke had to wipe his face off with his sleeve. "I've given that little nuisance more than enough chances and I have every right to kick him out now."

"But I was the one who broke the door." Sasuke replied, still not raising his voice.

"Really? Then I'll have you pay for the damages, but the brat's still getting the boot. There was a nice little married couple that came by the other day looking for a place to stay and I told them I'd give them a call if anything opened up. Well I'm going to go call them now." Her already ugly face was made even uglier by the nasty look she gave Naruto. "Come to think of it, I think I'll want to have this place ready for them sooner. You have three day's to get your crap out of here." She turned to walk away. "And I'll be expecting payment for that broken door before you're gone." She was gone, leaving a seething Sasuke and Panicked Naruto and Shocked Sakura.

"I told you she was a cow." Naruto said disbelievingly.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Three days wasn't nearly enough time to find a new apartment and move all of Naruto's crap out. First, there was the problem of finding someone who had an available apartment and was willing to rent it out to the "Demon Boy." Then came the actual packing and moving out.

Sakura took over the packing and cleaning portion of the task. Kakashi and Iruka showed up and went all over town with Naruto, trying to find him another small, affordable apartment. It wasn't an easy task. News of Naruto's "eviction" had spread, and the rumors surrounding the cause of it were outrageous. A kid that was still at the academy asked Naruto if he really tried to burn his apartment down and if he was going to go live in the desert where his mother and father thought he belonged. Iruka couldn't even bring himself to scold the kid because he knew he was just repeating what his parents said at home.

Sasuke took an entirely different task. He kept going to the landlady and asking her- or rather demanding her to changer her mind. Needless to say, that approach didn't work and probably caused more harm than good as the lady then called everyone she knew and started telling how horrible a tenant Naruto had been, making it that much more impossible to find him another apartment.

"Stop bugging me!" She screamed when she saw Sasuke at her door for the fourth time that day. "Just leave me alone!!"

"I'm not going to leave you alone until you change your mind." Sasuke replied calmly. He hadn't once raised his voice to the woman, as much as he wanted to.

"Well I'm not going to change my mind!" She snapped. "Just who the hell do you think you are!?!"

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke said coolly. "You can't just kick him out when he has no place else to go."

"I can and did!" A peculiar look had come across her face at hearing Sasuke's name. "Uchiha, huh? So you're the last one, right? Besides that brother of yours. Well then if you're so worried about that loudmouth being homeless why don't you take him home with you? You have plenty of room, what with being the last member of your clan." She smiled evilly when she observed the famous Uchiha glare. "So don't come complaining to me when you're more than capable of helping him out on your own." She shut the door in his face.

Sasuke glared at the closed door, fighting the anger that coursed through his veins. And as much as he loathed the woman at that moment, he knew the option was always there. Naruto could stay with him.

He shuddered at the thought. He had lived alone for years. The house was haunted with his memories of his family and his brother. He wasn't sure he was ready for someone else to intrude.

It would be his last resort. And hopefully it wouldn't come to that.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

It was the third and final day, and they still hadn't found Naruto an apartment. Sakura had done a marvelous job of packing. Everything was ready to go, but they still had no destination.

"You can come stay with me." Iruka told Naruto. He was more than willing to help out his young friend.

"I can't, Iruka Sensei!" Naruto shook his head. "Your apartment is almost as small as this one. There's no way its big enough for two people!"

"It's okay, Naruto. It will only be until we find you another place to stay. I'm sure we can manage for a little while."

"I doubt the villagers are going to suddenly be cured of their Naruto-phobia." Kakashi jumped into the conversation. "It will probably be a lot longer than you expect."

Sasuke sat in the corner, thinking fast. There had to be another option! There had to be! He quickly ticked them off in his head. Iruka and Kakashi both had small apartments, made for one person. Sakura lived with her parents, and their house wasn't very big. Also, her parents weren't likely to let a guy just move in with them. Especially not a guy that had a huge crush on their daughter. There wasn't anyone else that he could think of that might possibly take Naruto in.

Now that it came down to it, Sasuke was very positive that he wasn't ready to let someone else live with him. He downright despised the very idea. But he found himself speaking anyways.

"He can stay with me." His voice was only the slightest bit shriller than normal, but the reaction his words caused was phenomenal.

Iruka choked, and since he wasn't eating or drinking anything we must assume that he choked on air. Kakashi's jaw dropped and his one visible eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hair. Sakura fell off the arm of the couch where she had been sitting. Naruto, who had been about to say something had stopped short, his mouth still open, the words instantly forgotten. Everyone stared at Sasuke in silence.

"Well, that was unexpected." Kakashi was the first to speak. And for a long time he was the only one to have said anything.

"Sasuke… You- You don't have to-" Naruto was actually stuttering, much to Sasuke's annoyance. Was it really that strange that he would offer to help out a friend?

"I know I don't have to." The glare returned momentarily to his face. "But I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Sasuke lied through his teeth.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two 

It didn't take very long to get all of Naruto's belongings out of his apartment and into one of the many unused bedrooms in Sasuke's house. With the help of Kakashi, Iruka and Sakura, Naruto was able to drop the keys off for good shortly after noon.

After that, Kakashi and Iruka went off to do whatever it was they did when they didn't have to help their students (or ex-students in Iruka's case) sort out their problems. Sakura left only after Naruto insisted that she had done enough and that he didn't need help unpacking.

Before Iruka left, he invited Naruto to go have dinner at him at the ramen shop. Naruto accepted this invitation, a huge smile on his face while mentally screaming at himself to just admit that he hated ramen so he wouldn't be forced to "enjoy" it.

Sasuke had disappeared the moment everyone had arrived at his house. Naruto hadn't seen him at all since then. He was a little worried that maybe the Uchiha wasn't as okay with having him stay with him as he had claimed.

And really, Sasuke wasn't.

He had slipped away to his own bedroom when no one was looking, and was glaring daggers at the walls. He couldn't explain why he had decided to help Naruto out. He couldn't even think of an explanation he could give himself. But he had opened his mouth. As much as he considered the blonde an idiot, he secretly thought he was a bigger one.

While Sasuke was busy mentally berating himself, Naruto was nervously sitting in the living room, carefully listening and watching for any sign of the missing Uchiha. He felt very out of place in the big house, especially just sitting alone on the couch. And he felt too awkward to go look for Sasuke.

At length, Sasuke emerged from his bedroom and went looking for the blonde. He wasn't hard to find.

"Hi." Naruto said quietly. "I was wondering where you were." He looked timidly at the slightly older boy before quickly averting his eyes.

Sasuke forced himself not to glare at Naruto, and was mentally slapping himself for thinking of him as an "intruder." After all it had been his idea. "Hn. I was just in my room." He shuffled into the kitchen. Grabbing the kettle off the stove he filled it with water and set it to boil.

Naruto got up from the couch and gazed unsurely after Sasuke. Would it be too annoying to follow him?

Awwww. Is the little boy scared? You're so nervous I would have guessed you were in the middle of a fight for your life. You're PATHETIC!

Naruto jumped at the voice in his head. He hadn't heard the Fox since the night Sasuke had barged in on him while he was trying to kill himself. "Shut up!" He whispered quietly and quickly went into the kitchen.

Sasuke looked up when Naruto entered. He was acutely aware of how much the blonde looked out of place. Naruto was fidgeting with his sleeve, and still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked coldly, pouring boiling water from the kettle into a cup with a tea bag.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Naruto replied, watching as Sasuke sipped his tea.

"Nothing's wrong." Now it was Sasuke's turn to avoid making eye contact. "Why would you think that?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "You're a bad liar, you know that? You hid from me for two hours, you barely spoke when you finally came out of hiding, and now you're not meeting my eyes. You don't really want me here, do you?" His voice wasn't accusing, it wasn't angry. It was pleading.

Sasuke looked at the blonde, who was watching him closely. Sighing, he took another sip of tea and set his cup down on the counter.

"I don't want anyone here." He explained quietly. "The last time anyone lived here with me was when my family was still alive, before my brother decided to kill them. I don't want anyone else to live here. I don't want anyone to invade my memories." He looked away, forcing to keep his breathing even. It would be disastrous if he broke down crying in front of Naruto.

"Then why are you letting me stay here?"

Sasuke took another deep breath, thinking hard for an answer. "Because I- I need to get over it. And I- I don't know… I wanted to help." He shivered slightly as he fought to control the wave of emotion that rolled over him.

A warm hand gently grasped his shoulder, and he looked up into Naruto's concerned face.

"I don't have to stay here. I could find somewhere else if you-" Naruto was cut off by Sasuke shaking his head.

"I want you to stay." Another sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. "I need you to stay."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Naruto was both surprised and flattered by Sasuke's comment. No one had ever said they needed him at all, and all his hidden affections for the person standing in front of him threatened to come crashing to the surface. He almost pulled the Uchiha into a hug, but didn't get any closer than the hand he already had on his friends shoulder. He didn't want Sasuke to think he was clingy, or that he got emotional over such small sentiments, and he definitely didn't want to invade his personal space.

But most of all, he didn't trust himself. He didn't know how his body would react if he came into close contact with Sasuke after hearing the words spoken by him.

Sasuke had never liked much human contact, even when he was a small child. Even when he cried, he had never let someone comfort him. But the comfort he felt from Naruto's hand on his shoulder was almost soothing enough to make him throw himself into the blonde's arms in search of more of the same, soothing comfort.

He refrained, half out of the fear that he would weird Naruto out, and half out of pride.

They stayed like that for a long time. Neither knew the best way to break the silence, and neither of them was sure if they wanted to.

At length, the stiffness that came from standing too still for too long caused Naruto to shift uncomfortably. This small movement seemed to break whatever spell had come over the two and Sasuke casually shrugged the hand off his shoulder. His tea was cold by this time, and he quickly finished it.

Naruto turned to walk out of the kitchen. "Oh, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Where's the bathroom?"

Sasuke blinked, confused for a moment. "Go into the living room and down the hallway on the left, it's the third door on the right."

"Okay." Naruto disappeared out of the kitchen.

Sasuke stared at the now empty doorframe and still didn't move. He couldn't explain it, but whatever had just happened between him and Naruto had changed something. He wasn't sure what it had changed, or how. All he knew was that it was indeed changed.

A knock on the door brought him from his reverie. It was rare that someone would come visit him, and he guessed that whoever it was had come to see Naruto.

He answered the door and was proved right in his assumptions when he was greeted with Iruka's big smile.

"Hi Sasuke! How are you?" So much cheerfulness should be considered a crime.

"I'm fine." He replied. "Naruto's in the bathroom." He walked away, leaving the door open and a somewhat confused Jounin to come in on his own accord. Pounding on the bathroom door as he passed, he shouted to Naruto. "Iruka's here." He then quickly disappeared down another hall and into his bedroom.

Naruto came darting out of the bathroom. "Hi Iruka Sensei!"

Iruka smiled again, still unsurely hovering near the door. "Want to get going? Ichiraku is having a special on ramen!"

A special!? Oh great! Now he couldn't get away with his "I don't want to empty your wallet excuse." Naruto pretended to look thrilled as he and Iruka left the house.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Naruto stumbled back into Sasuke's house almost three hours later. The sun had decided to set before he left the ramen shop, and he had almost gotten lost on his way there. It was only the third time he had ever been to Sasuke's house, and the other two times had only been that morning.

Naruto's stomach was in such agony that he was sure he was going to die. Iruka had looked so thrilled that he was having the chance to treat his old student to his "favorite" treat, and Naruto hadn't been able to bring himself to crush that smile. He really was an idiot sometimes. Ten bowls. Ten! And now his insides were threatening to tear themselves out.

Sasuke was sitting on the couch and reading when Naruto came bursting through the door. The blonde didn't even notice him as he ran down the hall and into the bathroom. The sounds of retching soon reached his ears.

"What an idiot." Sasuke said, shaking his head and putting down his book. He slowly went down the hall and stood outside the door until the sounds of his friend vomiting stopped before pushing the door open.

Naruto was lying on the floor next to the toilet, clutching his stomach. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily.

"Come on." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him to his feet, hearing the other boy groan in protest. He led him back down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Care to explain?" Sasuke threw the question out carelessly as he set the kettle back on the stove to boil and pulled out a couple of tea bags.

Naruto let out a scornful laugh and slumped into a chair, laying his face against the cold wood of the table. "Too much ramen."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How much was it this time? A bowl?"

"Nnngg. Ten."

"Ten!?" Sasuke looked at the blonde in disgust. "If it makes you sick, then why the hell would you eat ten bowls?"

Naruto shrugged, turning his head over so the other side of his face could lean against the cold wood. "Because Iruka looked so glad that he could be buying it for me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and poured two cups of tea, one of which he set in front of Naruto. "Drink this. How do you think Iruka would feel if he knew that you were sick as a dog because you ate so much ramen?"

Naruto shrugged again, and sat up. The tea was hot and burnt his tongue.

"Why don't you just tell him that you don't like ramen anymore?" The words still sounded strange to Sasuke. Naruto didn't like ramen. It was enough to send shivers down anyone's back.

"Anymore?" Naruto said weakly. "I never liked it in the first place!"

Sasuke choked on his tea at this remark. As hard as it was to believe that Naruto had finally grown out of his ramen obsession, it was impossible to grasp the concept that the blonde had never liked it at all.

"So what, you were pretending the whole time!?" Sasuke asked skeptically. Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I'll buy that."

Anger flashed over the blonde's face, but was gone after a moment. "Whatever. You don't have to believe me. I just thought, since I've been honest with you about some other things maybe I could be honest with you about this." He laid his head back down on the table.

Sasuke frowned. "You're serious?" Naruto nodded again. "Why the hell would you pretend to like ramen so much? What's the point?"

Naruto sighed, and sat back up. He took another drink of the tea and winced when it burned his tongue again. "Well, it was all part of this act I was putting on. I don't know why. It was just easier to make this image for myself. I could be this stupid, idiotic prankster who thought something as moronic as ramen was important and no one would see how miserable I was. If it looked like I was fine with being shunned all the time then maybe I would really be able to deal with it." He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the table. "I was purposely screwing up, and always joking around so that people thought I didn't take anything seriously. But really I was taking everything too seriously. I would go home and cry and no one would know."

Sasuke's shock was reflected on his face. No! It couldn't be! Everything he had admired about the blonde, every personality quirk he had wished he could possess was fake!? He had been so sure that Naruto was so much stronger than him, so strong that he could just laugh at all the crap people put him through and now he was finding out that the loud, obnoxious moron wasn't really that!

But he didn't think less of Naruto for it. As much as his mind was telling him that Naruto was a little liar and a fake, he couldn't be mad, or disappointed. He himself had wished he could act like Naruto. He had wanted to put up a false front, but hadn't had the guts to even try. Naruto had created two lives. One that people saw, and one that people didn't. And Sasuke had only the life that no one saw. To people he was just an emotionless piece of animated flesh that walked around.

"I wanted to be able to be like you." Sasuke admitted. Naruto's eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. "I hated that you could be so carefree, while I was constantly dwelling on the past, on the pain, and on my hatred. You had every right to be the coldest, meanest person you could be, but you were still nice, you were still always smiling. I couldn't have done it. I don't have the will to put up a convincing mask like that."

Another silence stretched between them. It wasn't awkward. There was a quiet understanding.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go to sleep." Naruto said at last. "Good night."

Sasuke nodded and continued drinking his tea. "Good night. And Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever decide to tell me something as shocking as you never liked ramen again, warn me first."

Naruto smiled, a small, genuine smile, not like one of those ridiculously huge, fake smiles that were always on his face. Sasuke couldn't help but return the smile with the tiniest grin of his own.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five 

Sasuke was woken the next morning by a loud knocking on the door. He wondered briefly in he was going to have to deal with a ton of visitors now that Naruto was living with him and if it was worth the annoyance. He rolled out of bed and stumbled down the hall. It was still pretty early. Who the hell in their right mind would be pounding on his door?

It was Sakura. She blushed slightly when she saw Sasuke standing in the doorway, his hair messed up and in the dark blue sweat pants he had been sleeping in.

"Um, Kakashi stopped by and told me that we had training today and told me to come tell you and Naruto." She said quickly.

"Right." Sasuke suppressed a shiver as the cool air from outside blew across his bare chest. "We'll be there." He shut the door in her face, more than a little annoyed.

They hadn't had practice in three days. They had been too busy sorting out where Naruto was going to live. And now that the problem was fixed it only made sense that they would be back to training again.

Kakashi could've given us a bit of warning Sasuke thought bitterly as he mindlessly walked into Naruto's room to wake him up.

"Get up! We have to meet Kakashi!" He roughly shook Naruto's shoulder. "Wake up!"

Naruto groaned and tried to roll away from Sasuke, only to have Sasuke grab the blanket and roughly pull it and Naruto off the bed.

"Oww!" Naruto whined and Sasuke wrenched the blanket out of his grasp, only to regret doing so as he once again laid eyes on a very naked blonde.

"Knocking is a virtue!" Naruto said grumpily as he yanked the blanket back from Sasuke.

"So is sleeping with your clothes ON!" Sasuke retorted, once again feeling rather uncomfortable.

"But it's not as comfortable!" Naruto argued. "You feel all confined and trapped when you sleep in your clothes. Try sleeping without them one time and you'll see what I mean!"

Sasuke scrunched his eyes closed at the thought of sleeping naked and quickly changed the subject.

"Sakura came by. We have to meet Kakashi. We have to train today."

"Oh man!" Naruto whined. "And here I was looking forward to a nice long sleep." He got up, thankfully clutching the blanket to his body. "Fine."

Sasuke quickly went into his own room and threw on some clothes. Naruto was in the living room fully dressed and waiting for him.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Sakura wasn't the only one waiting at the bridge when Sasuke and Naruto got there. Neji, Lee and Tenten were too. And Kiba was there, and appeared to be bugging the shit out of Neji with stupid questions.

"We all know you're prude, Neji, but come on!"

Neji was shooting daggers at him with his eyes. "I am not prude."

"Then can Hinata have a party!? Will you please not tell? Come on! It's her birthday!" Kiba whined. Akamaru was on his shoulder and was whining too.

"But Hinata wont be having the party. You will." Neji replied simply.

"Yeah, for her!" Kiba frowned. "She was right. You're way too uptight. Oh well, we'll just have to have the party somewhere else."

Tenten was grinning. "Neji isn't that uptight! You know his uncle would blame him for that if he found out."

"That's why we wont let him find out. It's not that hard! I have parties whenever my parents are gone and they've never found out!" Kiba was smirking. "You know everyone will be invited. But if Neji won't let us, I guess we're just shit out of luck. Pity, I told Hinata that he couldn't possibly be that lame, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I just lost that bet with Ino too."

Tenten jumped to Neji's defense, as it was obvious that Neji didn't really care what anyone thought. "Neji isn't lame! He'll let you have the party, and we'll supply the alcohol!"

"We'll what!?" Neji snapped.

Tenten ignored him. "When is this party?"

Kiba was smirking even wider now. "Tomorrow. Starts at six. You're all invited, by the way." He said to everyone who was standing around. "And don't worry about the drinks. We already got that covered." He left.

Neji still looked a little pissed when Kakashi and Gai showed up twenty minutes later. Sasuke still looked like he couldn't care less, but everyone else was excited. It wasn't often that anyone had a party.

No one answered the curious questions they received from the two senseis, although Neji was tempted to blow the whole party right then and there. But he didn't. He really didn't care that they were having a party, but stupid Kiba had to come ask him. He wouldn't have even blinked an eye if they had just thrown the damn party. But now that he knew about it, it would be his painful duty to "baby sit" all the drunken teenagers. In the immortal words of Shikamaru, what a drag.

Training that day was the average boringness that it normally was. The two teams were racing against each other on a relay course. It helped them work on their chakra control as well as their speed and agility. It was a near tie, like always, but Gai's team won. Sakura wasn't quite as fast as she needed to be for team 7 to pull out a victory.

All through Gai's speech about how Kakashi shouldn't be a sore loser, and should accept defeat honorably, Kakashi was reading Icha Icha paradise and didn't hear a word of what Gai was saying, whereas Lee was holding onto every word that came out of his Sensei's mouth.

"You can go. Training's over for today." Kakashi told them as Gai was still talking. "But expect a hard workout tomorrow, since I suspect that no one will be feeling up to one the next day." There was a knowing twinkle in Kakashi's one visible eye as he disappeared in a whirl of leaves. Gai stopped talking, looking around wildly for his fellow Jounin.

Sakura and Tenten both quickly departed, and Lee was comforting Gai as he sobbed "manly" tears about how Kakashi didn't take him seriously.

"Well, I gotta go find Hinata a birthday present." Naruto smiled widely and quickly darted off. Neji and Sasuke left the look-alikes that were now both sobbing.

"You're coming to the party, aren't you?" Neji asked casually.

"I wasn't planning on it." Sasuke replied. "I'm not much of a drinker."

"Neither am I. You could help me baby sit." Neji suggested. He was trying to casually ask the Uchiha to come and keep him company, without sounding too desperate.

"Baby sit?"

"Yeah. Have you ever seen a bunch of drunken teens? It's a nightmare." Neji shook his head.

"I'll come." Sasuke agreed.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Naruto was starting to get annoyed. It was the third time he had got kicked out of a store while he was searching for a nice present for Hinata. No one wanted him anywhere near their place of business. But he was way past having hurt feelings at this point. It was just ridiculous. If they didn't want his money then he'd just find someone who did.

And so far, it appeared that everyone in the village hated money. At least he knew they weren't greedy.

They're just jealous. Naruto stiffened at the voice in his head. DAMN FOX!!! He mentally screamed at it. Just shut the hell up! He heard the demon snicker and retreat back into the corner of his mind. He always heard that horrible voice when he least expected.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Naruto jumped and swung around. Hinata was standing there nervously.

"Oh! Hi Hinata! How are you?" Naruto asked.

The girl blushed, fidgeting around with her fingers. "Oh. I'm okay. Why are you just standing here? You look angry."

"Oh, its nothing." Naruto smiled at her, causing her to blush even more. "The stupid store owner just kicked me out. Won't let me shop there."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Hinata said. "What did you want to buy? Maybe I could buy it for you?"

"No, that's okay Hinata." Naruto smiled. She really was a nice girl. She was just so damn shy. "I'll go look somewhere else. I'm not sure what I was looking for anyways."

"Oh. Okay." She blushed again and looked away.

"So what are you doing?" Naruto asked. It was calming him down to talk to her. He wasn't ready to go attempt to shop at another store just yet.

"Oh, well I was going to buy some food. Kiba and Ino are throwing me a party and I don't have enough food for everyone that will be there."

"Of course not." Neji seemed to appear out of nowhere, and Hinata looked like she had seen a ghost.

"N-Neji! I hope K-Kiba didn't bother you too much." She stuttered.

"He did." Neji told her bluntly. "Don't go wasting your money. They're coming to your house. Make them bring their own food."

Unless you knew them well, you would have thought that Neji hated Hinata. But his hatred of her had died a long time before. He still didn't really care for her, and thought she was weak beyond belief, but he felt like it was his duty to look out for her. And that was just his way of doing it.

"B-but I can't do that." Hinata was a little flustered by now. "It would be rude."

"So? It doesn't hurt to be rude." Neji continued.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata." Naruto said, laughing slightly at the dynamics. He didn't say anything to Neji as he continued walking down the street. He knew that Neji would undoubtedly win the little argument they were having. Hinata was simply too passive. Maybe he could pick up some food for the party. If any of the storeowners would let him shop long enough to buy something at least.

Sighing, he went into one of the stores and looked around. There were all sorts of little nick knacks on shelves on the walls. There was also a lady behind the counter that had stopped sweeping mid-sweep and was giving him a death glare.

Hinata and Neji looked down the street as a commotion broke out in one of the stores. Naruto came darting out, followed closely by a woman who was whacking him on the head with a broom.

"Alright, alright! I'm leaving already!!!" Naruto yelled at her.

"We don't serve demon's!" The woman shouted as Naruto turned and quickly walked away. People on the street hurried away from him as he passed.

"What was that about?" Hinata asked quietly.

Neji shrugged. "Maybe he got on her nerves."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

"What is all this for!? You know I do have food in my kitchen!" Sasuke told Naruto as he came in the door, his arms so full of grocery bags that the Uchiha couldn't see how the blonde was navigating.

"I know. This is for Hinata's party. I ran into her." Naruto explained, managing to set the bags on the kitchen table without dropping anything.

"Hinata?"

"Yeah. She said she was going to buy some food because she didn't have enough food for the party, but Neji came along and told her not to waster her money, so I figured since I would buy some food."

"Hn." Sasuke picked a bag of chips out of a bag. "That's thoughtful." The sarcasm was apparent in his voice.

"Hey, its Hinata's party. I want it to go good for her."

Sasuke smirked. "I could think of another way you could make it good."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, pulling a small bag out of his pocket. "Look what I got her." He showed Sasuke the necklace. It was made out of tiny beads, all strung together into a complicated pattern. The beads were mostly black and white, with bits of blue and purple.

"I'm sure she'll love it." Sasuke said half heartedly.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, suddenly stepping closer to the Uchiha. "You look kinda out of it."

"Hn. I just have a headache." Sasuke lied. It wasn't just a headache. He had the chills too. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to come down with something.

"Oh. Why don't you go lie down?" Naruto suggested. "It might help."

"Yeah. Okay." Sasuke shrugged and walked to his bedroom. In a big house, his bedroom sometimes seemed to be a lot farther than it really was.

Sasuke hated getting sick. It wasn't only physically draining, but emotionally as well. Whenever he was sick, he slept horribly. And what little sleep he did get was plagued with nightmares. Except his nightmares had happened. His nightmares were memories.

He had to admit, having Naruto around had so far not been a bad thing. Indeed, the fact that they were openly talking to each other about some of their biggest secrets, while a big surprise at first, had come naturally. And Sasuke had to admit that it was nice to come home to someone, or for that someone to come home to him.

His bed seemed infinitely more uncomfortable than it had ever been before. No matter how he twisted and turned, stretched and curled, he couldn't find that one spot that let him slip off into the blissful nothingness of sleep. It was incredibly infuriating and frustrating.

The house was very silent. Sasuke hadn't heard Naruto moving around for a while. I wonder if Naruto has this much trouble sleeping he thought to himself while his thoughts were on the blonde.

"You feel all confined and trapped when you sleep in your clothes. Try sleeping without them one time and you'll see what I mean!" Naruto's words came unbidden to his head.

"What if… NO!" Sasuke told the empty room. He was not going to try sleeping naked. What if something happened? What if he was attacked? What if someone barged in on him? It was out of the question.

But as he tossed and turned, the sweat pants he was wearing seemed to tighten up, and then came the feeling of things crawling up his legs. And on top of the acutely uncomfortable feeling he was receiving from the article of clothing, his curiosity peaked. It wasn't like anything bad could happen because he slept naked, right?

Maybe you're just being prude. The little nagging voice in his head said. Cursing the little voice and his curiosity, Sasuke quickly disentangled himself from the blankets and stood up. He hesitated for a second, before dropping the pants to the floor and slipping back into the bed. I'm going to regret this.

It didn't really feel any different. The extra layer of cloth was simply missing. And there was less friction, the blankets could slide over his skin smoother. He hated to admit it, but those slight differences did make it more comfortable.

So, Naruto had been right. It wasn't the biggest surprise in the century. Sasuke curled deeper into the blankets, finally finding that warmth that wrapped him like a cocoon, and that comfort that comes when sleep almost takes over.

"_It has nothing to do with being naked." He informed the silent room. "I'm just tired." He shook his head once more and let sleep take him, even as he felt his body start to heat up to a higher, more uncomfortable temperature._


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

Naruto woke up again. He just wasn't having a good night. His throat was painfully dry.

"Damnit." He swore to himself, getting up and throwing on his boxers. He didn't want to know what would happen if Sasuke found him wandering around his house naked.

The air was cold and left goose bumps all over his body as he slipped quietly out of his room and down the hall to the kitchen. He filled a glass with water and quickly went back down the hall, eager to get back into the warmth of his bed.

The slightest sound made him pause before he closed himself back in his bedroom. What was that? It sounded like someone crying.

He left the glass on the bedside table and tried to follow the sound. It was hard because the sound stopped for a few minutes, but then he heard it again. It sounded like sobbing. Was that Sasuke?

Naruto turned down the hall he had seen Sasuke disappear down a few times. He carefully started opening doors and peering in.

Naruto knew it was the right room because of the smell. Every room he had tried before had a distinct, musty smell. This room smelled more "lived in."

He heard a small whimper, and slipped into the incredibly dark room. He could barely make out the bed, and the sleeping Uchiha.

"Sasuke?" He asked silently. There was silence, followed by a choked out sob. Was he dreaming?

Slowly going closer to the bed, he could see Sasuke more clearly. He was writhing around, the blankets tangled around his legs and waist, his top half completely uncovered. Naruto thought he had to be freezing.

"No! You can't." Sasuke gasped, trying to kick out, but his legs were restrained by the blanket.

"Sasuke!" Naruto rushed forward and grabbed the boys shoulder, intent on waking him from whatever nightmare he was having. He shook him gently, noticing how hot Sasuke's skin was under his hand. "Sasuke! Wake up!"

Sasuke stopped moving for a second, and Naruto put a tentative hand to his forehead. He was burning up.

His eyes suddenly opened, and he bolted upright, flinging Naruto's hand off his head and screaming. "LET GO!!!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto sat down on the bed, shaking his friends shoulder again. "It's okay. Its just me."

Sasuke slumped back on the bed, gasping slightly and rolling onto his side, his back to Naruto.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, leaning closer and rubbing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder as a comforting gesture. Sasuke was shaking violently.

Just as abruptly as he had woken, Sasuke turned over and pulled Naruto down onto the bed and buried his head into the blonde's neck. Shocked by this sudden action and suddenly forced into an awkward position with one leg still on the floor and the rest of his body pressed against the trembling Uchiha, he let a small gasp escape his throat.

The tiniest of sobs wracked Sasuke's body, and Naruto instinctively pulled him closer, one hand stroking his friend's hair, the other wrapped protectively around his back.

Naruto's mind was buzzing with questions, and his body was screaming with discomfort and excitement, but his sense told him that the best thing for him to do was to continue holding his friend.

And that's what he did.


	30. Chapter 30

**Happy New Year... hope everyone's is going better than mine... but anywho I don't know if I like how this chapter came out... I might change it... and maybe the last one or two too... or maybe not... am I just being picky? I don't know... **

**Chapter Thirty**

Naruto wasn't sure how long he lay there, holding Sasuke. He didn't even know if Sasuke was awake, or if he had fallen back into his feverish sleep. He did know that his leg was aching from being twisted so awkwardly, and he was chilled to the bone. The only warmth he felt came from Sasuke's body and his warm breath on his neck. But that only served to add to the chills that were taking over his body.

Several times, Naruto almost dozed off, but was shaken awake by a shiver that continuously creeped its way down his spine.

Sasuke was indeed asleep. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as Naruto had started stroking his hair. Several times he almost woke up when a shudder wracked Naruto's body, but he only drifted to the very brink of consciousness before plunging back into the deep sleep.

While Sasuke slept, Naruto's emotions were running wild. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to say to the Uchiha once he woke up, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it meant.

He was sure it was nothing personal on Sasuke's part. He was simply reacting to the fever induced nightmares. Naruto had simply been the only one there to latch on to.

Don't be stupid! Naruto tensed as the voice penetrated his thoughts. Why did that damn fox always have to input at the worst times? I'm sure that he wouldn't have latched on to just anybody.

Naruto shook his head and tried to carefully shift into a more comfortable position without disturbing Sasuke. The sleeping boy shifted and let out a small whimper, burying his face deeper into Naruto's neck and clawing his chest.

"Okay. I'm not going anywhere." Naruto whispered softly. He ran a hand down Sasuke's back and up again. He felt him relax in his arms again.

If he could just get his leg up off the floor and stop the stabbing pains he was feeling, he could maybe get some sleep. He could deal with the cold. He could even deal with the nearly naked Sasuke.

Carefully leaning closer to Sasuke, so that he was nearly on top of him, Naruto managed to take enough weight off his strained leg to lift it onto the edge of the bed. He was then able to relax completely as he felt the blood continue to flow through it, and the stabbing pains disappeared.

Sasuke murmured something against his skin, and more tingles went down his spine.

Naruto took a deep breath and was finally able to let himself doze off. One thing was certain in he brain as he let sleep take him. He had never thought he would be in that situation with Sasuke Uchiha, no matter what the circumstances were.


	31. Chapter 31

**Well, there's nothing like insomnia and late night/early morning hunger to bring me down at 3:00 am… so what better to bring me up than writing a few chapters? I know they are short chapters, but its easier that way. Easier for updating, easier for transferring from the computer that I actually do all my writing on to the computer that has internet… But anywho, I don't think anyone is really interested in my ramblings, but I have one more thing to say… I can't believe its 2007… heh… seems like just yesterday that 2000 was approaching and everyone had their undies in a bunch over the Y2K… ok… so on with the story… **

**Chapter Thirty**

Sasuke woke up. He felt like he was being smothered. He was being smothered. He was smothering himself. In someone's neck. In Naruto's neck!

He pushed himself far enough away from Naruto to take a deep breath. He felt like he was roasting. Oh how he hated being sick.

In his sleep, Naruto shivered at the sudden lack of contact between him and the Uchiha. It was a cold night, and the blonde was clad only in his boxers.

And he was on Sasuke's bed. But strangely enough Sasuke wasn't annoyed or angry. No. He was grateful. Grateful that Naruto had been there at that moment.

Untangling himself from the blankets, which almost seemed to be knotted around the lower half of his body, he covered the freezing blonde and started to snuggle back against him. He froze, however, when he saw Naruto watching him quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked quietly, placing his hand on Sasuke's forehead. "You're still burning up."

"Its nothing." Sasuke tried to sound as casual as he could, while he was still dwelling on his own current need for human contact. There had always been those odd times at which he had desperately wanted to just be close to another person, for no other reason than to feel their presence physically. This was simply the first time that desire had been fulfilled.

Naruto was watching the Uchiha intently. He seemed unsure of what to do, now that Naruto was awake and had caught him attempting to snuggle. Naruto shrugged inwardly and closed the rest of the distance between them, finishing what Sasuke had been trying to do. Their bodies were once again pressed up against each other, and they both were silent and momentarily content.

"Uh, Sasuke?" Naruto suddenly asked, his voice sounding unsure. "Are you naked?"

Sasuke stiffened. It had completely slipped his mind. He could feel a blush spreading across his already heated face, and he suddenly scrambled away from the blonde.

"When I said you should try it I didn't think you actually would!" There was a distinctly amused note in Naruto's voice and Sasuke mentally cursed himself.

"That had nothing to do with it!" Sasuke hissed, all the previous annoyance, or lack there of came flooding to him. "It was hot!"

"Uh-huh. Sure it was. You know, you could at least have the balls to admit the truth." Naruto shook his head in mock disappointment. But really, his mocking tone and jokes were to cover up the incredible nervousness that had taken over his body when he had realized the Uchiha was clothes-less. Damn the stupid crush he had on Sasuke. And damn the dirty thoughts that were lingering on the outermost edge of his mind, about as far away as the fox was. And if those thoughts were in any way like the fox, they could pop up at any moment.

Sasuke was annoyed and embarrassed. "Just go back to your own room!" He snapped.

Naruto sensed the anger, and immediately jumped out of the bed, avoiding a blow from the now steaming Uchiha.

"Fine! If you can't take a little teasing…" He trailed off and immediately left the room. The hallway was even colder than Sasuke's room had been, and he didn't get any relief when he crawled into his own cold bed- alone. Damn him and his big mouth.

Speaking of big, do you think he is? THAT DAMN FOX AND THOSE DAMN DIRTY THOUGHTS! Couldn't he be remorseful in peace? Apparently not.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two 

The silence between Sasuke and Naruto was awkward the next morning. Aside from both of the getting far too little sleep, neither of them wanted to mention the previous night. Neither of them even wanted to meet the other's eyes.

Naruto was riddled with guilt. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so guilty. It wasn't like he had never given Sasuke a hard time about something. It was just that this time was different.

The fox hadn't shut up at all since Naruto had crawled into his bed. It had been a constant rambling, filling his head with various revenge plots, several murder plots and many, many dirty thoughts, most of which involved a very naked Sasuke. That was why he wouldn't meet Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke, on the other hand was still very embarrassed. He could almost bring himself into a panic if he thought about what would happen if anyone found out about that night. Not that he thought Naruto would tell. He was mostly worried about someone finding out that he was actually embarrassed. That was why he was avoiding Naruto's eyes.

Training that day certainly wasn't as demanding as Kakashi had promised it would be. It wasn't demanding at all. Gai seemed to have found out about the party, and rather than trying to stop the "wonders of youth" he was lecturing them continuously about being responsible, the dangers of drinking, and abstinence.

Kakashi was more than a little amused with the situation. Like always, he was reading Icha Icha paradise, but he kept handing it randomly to someone, pointing out "good advice" for having as much fun as possible. At that, Gai's lecture would turn to a long speech about how him and Kakashi, as adults and teachers, were responsible for their students and should not be a bad influence, nor encourage the reading of perverted books. Even Neji was becoming visibly annoyed.

The two teams were lounging on the edge of the training field, trying their hardest to ignore the two sensei's as they moved into a discussion about the dangers and wonders of youth that kids these days were faced with. Even Lee had lost interest in the conversation.

Naruto was laying in the grass and staring up at the sky, oblivious to everything. He was tired. But he didn't want to doze off right there in front of everyone. He had seen kids wake up with mustaches drawn on their face because they fell asleep in class.

Sasuke was leaning against a tree, carefully blocking out everything Sakura was saying. He honestly couldn't care less about the dating dynamics of Ino, and wasn't going to waste his energy trying to understand. He gazed at Naruto, noticing that he was starting to nod off, but would quickly catch himself and shake his head.

Naruto felt the eyes on him and met Sasuke's glance for a second before Sasuke looked away. Naruto suppressed a sigh and let his eyes slip closed. He didn't understand the Uchiha at all. One minute he could be the silent, brooding person that he normally was, and then he was confessing some great secret to the blonde, and then they weren't talking. It was aggravating.

Neji noticed the quick glance between the two. He could tell that there was some sort of disagreement going on between the two. They had been resolutely avoiding each other's gaze all morning, and hadn't said a word to each other. He knew that Sasuke didn't say much in the first place, but him and Naruto always seemed to be exchanging curses, or threats of some sort. So it seemed odd to him that they weren't this morning.

"Hey, look!" Tenten suddenly whispered excitedly. "I think Naruto's asleep." She leaned over and poked him in the side. The blonde didn't even twitch.

"Hehe! Lets give him a mustache!" She said excitedly, reaching into her pocket pulling out an eyeliner pencil.

Sakura giggled. "That's kinda mean."

"Yeah, so?" Tenten crouched over the sleeping boy and carefully lowered the eyeliner to his face. She paused for a second. "You know, he's kinda cute when he's not all loud and annoying."

Naruto tried to bat her hand away, mumbling "That tickles" as Tenten carefully drew the mustache. She was almost finished with the last twirl on the end when Naruto's eyes shot open. He pushed her hand away and sat up with a yell.

"What the hell! Can't a guy nap in peace!?" He frantically started rubbing his top lip, successfully turning the mustache into a large black smudge. "Geez. I fall asleep for two minutes…"

Sakura, Lee and Tenten were clutching their stomachs and were trapped in a fit of laughter. Neji and Sasuke exchanged a look that clearly said "So immature." They both rolled their eyes.

"And you think they'll be fine at a party?" Came Gai's voice. Him and Kakashi had sidled over to their students, and had watched as the scene had played out.

"They'll be fine!" Kakashi said, waving a hand half-heartedly. "They'll have loads of fun."

Gai sweat-dropped. "Have you been listening to anything I said?"

"Nope! Okay, we're done for today." Kakashi smirked again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle. He handed it to Naruto. "Here. This will help keep things live."

He then disappeared in his usual swirl of wind and leaves, leaving Gai shouting about irresponsible teachers.

Naruto shrugged, and pocketed the bottle. He quickly got up and left. He desperately wanted to wash his face.


	33. Chapter 33

I had a lot of fun writing these next few chapters…. Hope ya like…   
Chapter Thirty Three 

He had everything. All the snacks he had bought. Hinata's present. And the bottle of liquor Kakashi had given him. Strong stuff that was hard to find in Konoha. Probably expensive. It was rare that anyone drank anything else than saké. Naruto guessed that everyone who was going to be at the party, including himself, had never had vodka before. Now if only he could get the door open. He was already almost an hour late.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shift all the bags in his arms enough so he could open the door. That was great.

"Hn. You're such an idiot." Came Sasuke's cold voice. The door opened, and a few of the bags were lifted out of his arms as the Uchiha took on the task of carrying them. He led the way out of the house. "Close the door behind you."

Both annoyed and relieved that Sasuke was acting like his normal self again, Naruto closed the door. "Are you actually going to this party?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah. Neji asked me to come."

"Neji asked you!?" Naruto gasped and tripped, almost dropping everything he was carrying. His head was suddenly filled with new suspicions about the Hyuuga's and Sasuke's "friendship."

"Yeah. He didn't want to be the only sober one there? Someone needs to help him baby-sit."

"And you're gonna be that someone? Sounds fun!" The sarcasm was dripping off Naruto's voice.

Sasuke didn't reply, and they were silent the rest of the way to the party.

It was Ino who answered the door, much to Sasuke's annoyance. She looked absolutely thrilled to see Sasuke, and wasn't standing quite steady. Naruto suspected she had already started drinking.

"Sasuke! You came!" She drew the Uchiha into a tight hug. "What do you have there?"

"Hn. Ask Naruto." He pushed the bags into her arms and pushed past her, searching the room for Neji, whom he quickly spotted and made a beeline for.

"Naruto?" Ino asked, her voice losing its previous cheerfulness in a hiccup.

"Well, I ran into Hinata and she mentioned that she didn't have enough food for a big party, so I bought some for her!" Naruto explained.

"Oh!" Ino looked surprised. "That was nice. We were worried about that. Thanks Naruto!"

Naruto was completely caught off guard when the girl gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was just a few bags of food for god's sake!

"Come on, the kitchen's this way!" Ino said.

Various people shouted hello's at Naruto as he passed, successfully puzzling the blonde. Since when had anyone, let alone almost all of his peers- slightly buzzed peers from the look of it, but still, since when had they been nice to him, or been at all happy to see him? Just briefly, he was able to pick out Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura, Shino, Tenten and Lee, along with everyone he didn't get to glance at as he followed Ino into the kitchen. Hinata and Kiba were in there.

"Naruto brought food!" Ino said excitedly. "And we were all worried about that!"

Naruto dumped the bags on the counter. "Hi Hinata!" He fished the little wrapped package out of his pocket. "Happy birthday!"

Her face was already flushed, but an even more visible blush crept across her face, and her hands were shaking slightly as she opened the package and pulled out the necklace. "Oh Naruto! Thank you. It- it's beautiful!" Naruto smiled warmly at her.

Sakura came into the kitchen. "Hi Naruto." She was holding an empty cup, and was getting a refill. People sure didn't waste any time.

"Hi Sakura." Naruto responded.

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba stumbled over and put his arm around Naruto's shoulders. He had obviously gone out of his way to get a lot of alcohol in his system in very little time. "So, I heard about that fight you had with Kakashi. You beat him and Gai!" He looked positively thrilled. Naruto, on the other hand, felt dread creep into his stomach. So that's why everyone had said hi, and why Ino had kissed him. They were impressed. Well impressed and under the influence, but still.

"Hehe! Yeah, I guess I did!" Naruto forced a smile. Meanwhile the nine-tailed fox snickered evilly in his head.

"Well, there's this kid, he's a few years older than me, and he's a Jounin. He's been pushing some of my friends around, and I was wondering if you would come with me when I confront them. I could always use a good strong ninja for support."

Despite his efforts, the smile slid off his face. Great. They wanted him to fight for them!?

"Yeah, actually I have a similar problem." Ino said, smiling what could have been described as a flirtatious smile. "There's this guy who wont leave me alone. He just won't take no for an answer. Do ya think you could help me out and chase him off?"

Naruto shrugged Kiba's arm off his shoulder and went quickly into the living room. He took a seat on the couch next to Shikamaru, who looked as bored as ever. He alone seemed to be unfazed by the drink's he had already consumed, if he had drunk any at all.

"I heard about the fight with Kakashi." Shikamaru said quietly. Great! Not Shikamaru too! Naruto thought bitterly. Shikamaru continued. "I think a few people are gonna ask you for help fighting someone stronger than them. I told them they shouldn't bother. I'd hate to be you. It would be so troublesome." He glanced at Naruto, who looked annoyed. "Don't worry. I don't pick a fight if I can't win it."

Naruto smiled. That at least was true enough. Shikamaru was too lazy to do something that stupid. "Thanks Shikamaru." He left Shikamaru on the couch and went back into the kitchen, half intent on getting something to eat, half wanting to get something to drink. He wasn't sure which until Choji cornered him.

"Hey Naruto!" He said cheerfully. "Could I ask you a favor?"

"What?" Naruto asked carefully, expecting it to pertain to food. Choji was always stuffing his face.

"There's this guy. He took over my booth at this one restaurant I like to go to. I was wondering if…" Naruto didn't let him finish. He pushed passed him and dug into the bags he had brought. He finally found it, the bottle of Vodka Kakashi had given to him. He marched back out of the kitchen, ignoring people's questioning looks. So they only wanted him around because he was so strong, huh? Was every other aspect of his personality really that horrible?

Leaning against a wall, he let himself sink to the ground. He was already regretting coming to this party as his anger flared up. Some people were just so stupid.

At least they don't hate you. Came the voice of the ever present fox in his head. At least they don't treat you bad like most of the villagers do.

"Yeah, and at least I can drown you out." Naruto spat, opening the bottle of vodka and taking a big drink. It was horribly strong, and made him choke as it burned its way down his throat, leaving a very warm sensation all up and down his esophagus. He grimace, but took another drink. He wanted very much to be in a drunk stupor. Then, at least, he wouldn't have any problems until he started sobering up.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four 

Sasuke and Neji were standing off to the side, waiting for things to get more riled up. Neji noticed Sasuke watch as Naruto, apparently angry at something, sat down alone with a bottle.

"Does he talk to himself often?" Neji asked Sasuke who quickly averted his eyes from the blonde. He just shrugged in response.

Neji didn't push it further, as he was distracted by a very unstable Ino leading a blushing Hinata to the middle of the room, and Kiba setting up a stereo. He turned it on, and some terrible noise came out of it. Neji knew that some people liked to refer to that noise as "music" but he himself could never enjoy hiphop like he enjoyed real music.

Sasuke seemed to be along his same line of thought. The Uchiha was making a face at the pounding in his eardrums.

Ino was trying to get Hinata to dance with her, but Hinata was pulling away, too shy to attempt such a thing.

Ino simply shrugged it off, and started dancing by herself. Every eye was on her momentarily as she swayed her slim hips to the music.

Then, someone got up to join her. Someone that no one in their right mind would expect to get up and start dancing. And no one really knew if Shino had actually had that much to drink or if he just liked to dance, but he was up there, grinding against Ino.

And Ino didn't seem to mind.

"So it starts." Neji muttered to Sasuke. Sasuke just watched silently as various other people got up to dance with Ino and Shino (**hehe… that rhymed…**). Kiba was more than a little enthusiastic as he pulled off some of the lamest dance moves imaginable.

Neji stiffened a little when Kiba started pulling on Hinata's arm, trying to get her to dance with him. The poor girl was blushing more than Neji had ever seen her blush and was trying to pull away from Kiba.

"No! I don't want to." Hinata said shrilly, pushing against Kiba's chest. But he wasn't listening, and held her against him, his grip getting tighter and tighter as she fought.

Sasuke watched all this, feeling Neji getting angry at his side. The Hyuuga was about to go charge in and kick Kiba's ass, but Naruto got there first. Sasuke had noticed him stagger to his feet and stash his bottle safely in his pocket, but the scene on the "dance floor" had made him lose concentration on the blonde. Now, however, he was right in the middle of everything, and was yelling at Kiba loudly.

"If she doesn't want to dance, she doesn't have to dance!!" The people around them paused to watch.

"Shut up, Uzumaki!" Kiba snarled, continuing to move his hips against Hinata, who looked petrified.

"That's it!" Naruto lunged, punching Kiba hard in the jaw and sending him flying backwards, releasing his hold on Hinata. The dark haired girl timidly backed away, rubbing her arms where Kiba had been holding her.

"Bastard!" Kiba jumped up and returned the punch as hard as he could, toppling both him and Naruto over. Everyone was jumping out of the way.

"Stop it! You two are ruining Hinata's birthday!" Ino squealed. She was obviously unaware of what had been happening between Kiba and Hinata.

Naruto was on top of Kiba, and was trying to strangle him.

"That's our cue." Neji said stiffly to Sasuke and walked over and caught Kiba's fist as he attempted to hit Naruto again. Sasuke came up and pulled Naruto off of Kiba. Naruto didn't struggle to keep hitting Kiba. He was obviously satisfied that the dog boy had been sufficiently punished. But Kiba continued to fight against Neji, shouting out curses and threats.

"Shut up!" Neji grabbed Kiba's hair and jerked his head back. He said something to the boy that made him suddenly be very still.

Neji let go, and Kiba stumbled off towards the kitchen, muttering under his breath. Some people laughed, and the dancing continued now that the incident was over.

"Are you alright, Hinata?" Naruto had made his way over to the trembling girl.

Hinata blushed and nodded. "Thank you, Naruto. He just wouldn't listen."

"No problem, Hinata." Naruto smiled his big goofy smile and tried to walk away, but stumbled and landed right at Sasuke's feet.

"How much have you had to drink?" Sasuke asked, helping the blonde to his feet and getting him out of the way of being stepped on.

Naruto smiled even wider. "I don't know." He fumbled with his pocket and extracted the bottle. Although there wasn't a great amount gone, Sasuke didn't know how strong it was, or whether Naruto was a lightweight or not.

"Hn." The Uchiha grabbed the bottle and read the label. "Vodka?"

Naruto nodded, reaching out for the bottle and taking another drink. He winced as he swallowed the stuff. "Kakashi gave it to me."

Sasuke thought about their Sensei. It almost made sense. "I hope that doesn't taste as awful as it smells."

"It does, but once its down it feels great." Naruto was smiling again.

"Hn. Just don't drink too much. If you're puking when we go home I'm leaving you in the street." Sasuke left the blonde there, smiling like an idiot and went to find Neji.

Neji was trying to intervene Ino and Sakura's attack on Shikamaru. Tenten was smirking, and holding up a dress that Neji knew for a fact was Hinata's.

"Come on! He'll make a pretty girl!" Ino was forcibly prying his shirt off, while Sakura was going through a bag of make up.

"I think green eye shadow would compliment your features, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru simply groaned. "What a drag!"

"How's it goin?" Sasuke dared to ask a very annoyed Neji. "That doesn't look to harmful."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five 

"Come on!! YEAH!!!! LETSGET THIS PARTY STARTED!!! Come on Naruto! Lets show them what we have!" Sasuke and Neji both whirled around. Lee and Naruto were standing on the couch and were dancing…

… while stripping off their clothes to the music. Everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing to watch.

"Ah fuck!" Sasuke swore. Neji briefly covered his eyes. "I don't want to see that!"

Leaving Shikamaru to the mercy of the girls, they attempted to deal with the two drunk boys, who by now were already halfway naked.

"HAH! You will never catch me!!!!" Lee started dashing around the room, pausing only to remove another item of clothing.

"Damnit Lee!!! I don't want to see that!" Sasuke was running behind him, picking up his clothes and attempting to catch the now naked taijutsu expert, leaving Neji to deal with Naruto.

Thankfully, Naruto still had his pants on.

"Come on Naruto! You'll regret this tomorrow!" Neji tried to calmly explain to the blonde, who was bouncing on the couch, his pants unbuttoned and starting to slip down his waist.

"I wont remember this tomorrow!" Naruto shouted happily, jumping over the back of the couch.

"ARG!!" Neji jumped after him, lunging for him and missing.

"Hehe!!!" Naruto tried to run, but his pants chose that moment to fall down and he tripped.

"Come on." Neji grabbed him around the waist and carried him off to the side of the dance floor, picking up various pieces of Naruto's discarded clothing as he went. He dropped Naruto on the floor in the corner. "Get dressed!"

Naruto pouted, but took his clothes from Neji anyways. "You're no fun."

Neji shook his head and turned to survey the rest of the drunken kids. Nothing extraordinary was happening. Which may or may not have been a good thing.

"ACK!" Neji looked back down at Naruto. His head was stuck in one of the sleeves of his shirt. Stupid idiot! Would he have to help him dress too!?

"Here." Neji yanked the shirt off his head and none-too-gently forced it back onto Naruto. He then helped the blonde get his pants back up.

"Gee, thanks a lot Neji- San!" Naruto smiled that big ridiculous grin again and started searching around in his jacket. He found the bottle and took another drink.

Neji should have stopped him, but he was busy surveying the room. Naruto's voice made him look back down at the idiot who had no clue what the hell he was saying.

"You know, Hinata is really nice! I like her!" Naruto was babbling.

"You're an idiot!" Neji said sitting down against the wall so he could keep an eye on the room and still listen to whatever it was that Naruto was saying. "You know she likes you, right?"

"Yeah! I'm not stupid!" Naruto replied indignantly, or as indignantly as a person can when they drool a little and then laugh. "She only blushes a hundred times a day when I'm around."

"Then what's the problem." Neji asked carelessly. He was hoping that he could keep Naruto talking and away from more disturbing things. "She likes you, you like her. So ask her out. She'd be thrilled."

Naruto shook his head, giving Neji a very disbelieving look. "I don't like her like that! I like someone else, but they would never like me back."

"Who, Sakura?" Neji narrowed his eyes. Shikamaru was nowhere in sight. Instead there was a girl that Neji didn't know. Surprisingly, Shikamaru made a pretty girl. Neji mentally cursed himself for thinking that, then turned his attention back to Naruto.

"No! I mean, Sakura's pretty and everything, but she's even more annoying than I am. No, the person I like is much hotter, much calmer and much better than her. But he would never like me back." Naruto explained. He had taken another few drinks when Neji wasn't looking.

Neji's eyes widened, making Naruto laugh. "You look like a goldfish when you do that!"

"So." Neji said casually, trying to word his next question just right. "Who is the lucky guy?"

Naruto smiled widely. "Sasuke Uchiha!" He said the name with such pride you would have thought it was his own.

Neji choked. Sasuke!?!?!?!

Naruto giggled. "You're doing the goldfish again!" He went to take another drink, but Neji snatched the bottle out of his hand. Ignoring the blonde's protest, he threw his head back and started chugging, only to choke on the burning bitter taste.

"What is this crap!?" He coughed. He could feel a fuzzy burning sensation all the way down his throat.

"Kakashi Sensei gave it to me." Naruto said proudly, reaching for the bottle again, but once again Neji took a drink. Aside from the bitter taste, it did feel pretty good going down. He kept the bottle from Naruto until he had drank as much as he wanted.

"I needed that." Neji said, handing the bottle back to Naruto. It was almost half empty.

Neji tried to stand up, but fell back over, landing on Naruto's legs. Naruto burst out laughing. So did Neji. He didn't know why it was funny. It just was.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six 

Sasuke returned to the Hyuuga house without Lee. Someone, somewhere in the village was going to find a nude Lee passed out somewhere, and it wasn't going to be pleasant, for Lee or the person that found him.

Sasuke almost felt sorry for Lee. He was going to have to deal with that when he woke up with a killer hangover. But most of all, he felt sorry for the person who was going to find him.

He looked around for Neji. Maybe the Hyuuga could locate his teammate. But one glance at the normally stoic boy told him that Lee was on his own.

Neji was on his hands and knees, crawling away from Naruto, laughing his ass off. Sasuke went over to him and pulled him to his feet. He could smell the vodka.

"I thought you weren't drinking." Sasuke stated simply. Neji smiled dumbly.

"I wasn't, but he opened his big mouth!" Neji pointed at Naruto, who was once again struggling to his feet. "He's your problem now!" Neji pushed away from the Uchiha and stumbled off, looking for amusement of some sort.

"Hi Sasuke!" Naruto said brightly as Sasuke stood in front of him with crossed arms. "Neji finally loosened up!" He proclaimed this proudly, as if he had won some kind of victory. "He made a face like a goldfish, and then he laughed! Can you believe it? I didn't think Neji could laugh!" Naruto gave up on his efforts to stand up and slumped back on the floor.

Sasuke left Naruto there. He didn't look like he was going anywhere. He looked around for Neji again, finding him sitting on the couch with a girl he didn't know. She looked familiar, but he was sure he had never seen her before.

"It's Shikamaru."

Sasuke turned to look at Shino, who was standing a few feet away and had followed his gaze. "Ino, Sakura and Tenten got a hold of him."

Sasuke looked back at the girl, still unsure. It was Shikamaru alright.

A shout came from the kitchen, and Sasuke rushed in there. Choji and Kiba were fighting over a bag of chips.

"Back off, pig boy!! You've eaten every other bag already!!!" Kiba shouted.

"I'm hungry!" Choji stated simply. Sasuke let out an aggravated sigh and snatched the bag out of both their reach and shooed them into the living room so he could keep an eye on them as well.

"Wooh!!! Go Neji!!!!" Ino shouted loudly the moment Sasuke returned to the crowded room. His eyes searched for the drunken Hyuuga, finding him draped over the dressed-in-drag Nara, sticking his tongue down his throat.

"Fuck it!" Sasuke closed his eyes and banged his head on the wall. He could have definitely lived without seeing that.

"Hey, get a bedroom!!!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke's eyes shot to him. How the hell was he managing to stand, let alone walk?

Neji complied, pulling Shikamaru to his feet. Their lips stayed pressed firmly together as they stumbled down away from the party.

"I'll take that!" Sasuke snapped, snatching the bottle out of Naruto's hand, causing said blonde to pout. "But Sasuke…"

Sasuke slipped the bottle into his own pocket. Naruto lunged at him, clawing desperately at the pocket.

Sasuke stepped aside and let Naruto fall to the floor. Stupid, drunken idiot!!!! And he still had to take care of everyone else. Neji was doing who-knows-what to Shikamaru, Ino had just found the whip cream and was covering Choji with it, Hinata seemed to have had enough to drink to come out of her little bubble of shyness because she was dancing enthusiastically with Kiba, who was falling down occasionally. Shino was just standing around watching everything, Sakura and Tenten were throwing globs of ice cream at everyone and Naruto- Naruto was nowhere in sight. Crap.

"Where the hell did he go?" Sasuke said out loud, looking around frantically.

Shino was smirking. "He said something about the roof."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he was outside in a flash. Naruto was on the roof. And he had finally succeeded in getting rid of his clothes. He was howling at the moon.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty Seven** Sasuke managed to get Naruto off the roof and dressed without any disastrous occurances, for example without the blonde falling off the roof.

Naruto was missing several pieces of clothing. His boxers were nowhere to be found, and neither was his gray jacket. The orange one had been torn to pieces years ago and had never been replaced. But Naruto was shivering as Sasuke frantically tried to get him back inside the house.

Someone had been watching the house. Sasuke had first noticed it when he had been chasing Lee, and the glare he could feel was so much more intense now that Naruto was visible. Whoever it was didn't like his friend very much. Although it probably was to his disadvantage that Naruto had been howling rather loudly.

"Come on Naruto!" Sasuke hissed impatiently, dragging the blonde through the door and into the house. He dumped him on an empty couch and looked around. Things were starting to calm down. Mostly everyone was laying down, either sprawled across a couch or in the middle of the floor. Shino was one of the only one still standing.

"Well, this is going to be very interesting tomorrow." Shino mentioned casually. "We'll certainly have some entertaining stories to tell."

"You're sober, aren't you?" Sasuke asked, observing the amused look on Shino's face.

"Yes. I don't drink."

Sasuke shrugged, and walked over to the couch where Naruto was lying. Shoving the blonde's feet over, he sat down and ran a hand through his hair. It had definitely been an interesting night, and a tiring one. It could have easily ranked as a C class mission. Baby sitting teenagers.

Naruto groaned, and stretched out, his feet coming to rest on Sasuke's lap. Irritated, Sasuke pushed the blonde a little two hard and he rolled off the couch and fell in a heap on the floor.

"Sasuke!! What was that for!?" Naruto whined.

"I don't want your feet in my lap, moron." Sasuke snapped.

"Oh. Okay." Naruto crawled back onto the couch. "Why didn't you just say so."

Sasuke didn't reply and let his eyes close for a minute before he felt something else on his lap. The blonde was asking for his drunk ass to be beaten.

But instead of Naruto's feet, it was his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked quietly, stiffening up and looking around to see if anyone was noticing. Shino was nowhere in sight.

"Using you as a pillow." Naruto muttered. His eyes were drooping closed. "You said you didn't want my feet in your lap."

Sasuke was about to say that his head wasn't any better, but refrained when he saw Shino come walking smoothly out of a dark hallway that led to the bedrooms in the back of the house.

Shino smirked. "You'll never believe what Neji and Shikamaru are doing." He stated simply. "You'd think Neji is a vampire from the way he's latched onto Shikamaru's neck. Lets hope they don't really start goin at it." Shino shook his head, the smirk never leaving his face. "I'm going home. I've had enough amusement for one night."

Sasuke watched him leave, carefully picking his way around the bodies that were strewn all over the floor.

Sasuke had half a mind to follow his example and just go home, but he didn't think it would be right to leave the house unguarded when someone had been watching it so closely.

Instead, he watched as the entire room fell into a deeper sleep, while his own eyelids were aching. How drunk was Neji? Would he be too fucked up to keep an eye on the house so the Uchiha could drag Naruto home and get some much needed sleep?

Easing himself up and letting Naruto's head gently fall back onto the couch, he went to the door and quickly stepped outside. Sure enough, he could feel someone watching him, and could feel the concealed chakra. Great. So it probably wasn't just some annoyed neighbor. A ninja was watching the house. Now he really needed to tell Neji.


	38. Chapter 38

**So, I have to go back to school tomorrow, and I don't know if I'll have much time to write… but I'll try to update as much as possible… **

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

"Hinata?" Sasuke gently shook the sleeping girl. "Where's Neji?"

Hinata mumbled something and pointed to a wall without lifting her head up or opening her eyes.

Great. So it was up to him to find Neji. Cautiously, Sasuke started opening doors and peeking in rooms. He was more than a little relieved when he found Neji and Shikamaru and they were both asleep. He had been worried that he would interrupt something unpleasant.

And from the looks of it, if he had come in much earlier he would have interrupted. Neji didn't have his shirt on, and was leaning against Shikamaru, one arm thrown around his waist and their legs were intertwined. Neji had a few visible bite marks on his neck and a few on his chest, but it was nothing compared to the dark bruises and many hickies that covered Shikamaru's neck and seemed to continue below the collar of the dress he was still wearing.

"Neji!" Sasuke whispered urgently, shaking the boy awake. The Hyuuga was incredibly disorientated and reluctant to open his eyes. He simply pushed Sasuke away and moved closer to Shikamaru, who still hadn't budged.

Sasuke was annoyed. "Neji, you're sleeping with Shikamaru, and there's a ninja watching the house."

Neji blinked stupidly at the Uchiha for a moment, before pushing away from Shikamaru and flinging himself off the bed. He looked at Sasuke and then down at his bare chest, a blush creeping to his face.

"Did you hear me?" Sasuke asked. Neji nodded, frantically grabbing his shirt and pulling it on. "There's a ninja watching the house. Whoever it is wasn't hiding their chakra very well, but they might not be alone."

Neji stood up, the blush gone from his face. He still looked drowsy, and wasn't walking quite strait as he followed Sasuke back out to the living room.

"Everyone's asleep?" Neji looked around in disbelief. "You're a great baby sitter."

Sasuke threw him a glare. "Yeah, a lot better than you!"

Neji shrugged. "Hey, have a drunk Naruto start spilling his secrets to you and you would need a few drinks too."

Sasuke shook his head. "Whatever. What are we gonna do about whoever's watching the place? I first noticed him when I was chasing Lee, then when I was getting Naruto off the roof. The chakra flared when I was with Naruto. It might mean Naruto has something to do with it, or it might be coincidence."

Neji listened in silence. "Well, I could see why someone would come after Naruto. Someone could feel threatened by him. Hell, I think Naruto feels threatened by himself."

Sasuke nodded. "So, what do we do?"

Sakura sat up drowsily, looking at the two boys who weren't bothering to keep their voices down. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing Sakura. Go back to sleep." Sasuke said quickly.

Sakura's confused look turned into a glare. "I'm not a baby, Sasuke! Now what's going on?" She stood up, looking Neji in the eye. "Who's coming after Naruto?"

"No one's coming after Naruto!" Sasuke hissed. "We're just speculating!"

"Oh. Why?"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "If we tell you, will you leave us alone so we can think?" He didn't like the pink haired girl at all, and could see Naruto's reasoning when he said she was more annoying than he was. When he said he preferred Sasuke… NO! He didn't want to think about that! Not when they had to figure out who was stalking the house.

"Fine. If you tell me I'll just step aside and let you big strong boys deal with it!" Sakura snapped, crossing her arms.

"Someone's been watching the house for a few hours. A ninja." Neji explained quickly. "Now leave us alone!"

Sakura pouted and stomped into the kitchen.

"Well, what reasons are they not here for?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Well, I don't think they were here for the party." Neji said. "And I don't think they came to see Lee and Naruto strip either."

Sasuke looked around. "Well, they could be here because you're uncle isn't. It would be a good time to attack the Hyuuga clan, wouldn't it?"

"They might be after that last of the Uchiha clan too!" Neji retorted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Well this isn't getting us anywhere."

"I think the most likely is that they're after Naruto." Neji said slowly. "It makes the most sense. It could be nothing more than some of the Jounin trying to pick a fight."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Then should I take Naruto home now? Or should we wait. If they are after him, and by some chance it isn't just some of our village Jounin, we'll be putting everyone here in danger if Naruto stays."

Neji thought for a moment. "True, but if they aren't after you or Naruto, we'd have a better chance of waiting." He suddenly glanced at Hinata, who was watching them carefully. Sakura was also listening intently from the door of the kitchen.

"What makes you guys so sure that they aren't just a couple of chunin doing their nightly patrols?" Sakura asked.

"Because a patrol doesn't consist of sitting and staring at one house."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but Sasuke held up a hand for silence. He sensed someone's chakra signature coming from the roof. A few seconds later, another person joined the first..

"There's at least two of them." Neji said quietly, looking up at the ceiling.

Hinata carefully got to her feet. "What do we do?" Her voice sounded timid, but her eyes were resolute.

"_We wait."_


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty Nine 

"Why wouldn't they bother to hide their chakra?" Hinata asked. "Maybe they were the patrol."

The two ninja had leapt off the roof and were gone after only a few minutes. "They probably were the patrol." Sasuke agreed. "But whoever it was before wasn't."

"Well they're gone now." Neji said, coming back into the house. "I guess the patrol must have scared them off. They must not have been looking for a fight."

"Well that's good." Sakura said with a yawn. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep." She left Sasuke, Neji and Hinata in the kitchen to continue discussing the "mystery."

"I don't think there's anything to worry about now." Hinata said quietly.

Neji shrugged. "Probably not." He glanced at Sasuke. "You could probably go home now if you want."

Sasuke suppressed a yawn and nodded. "We have practice in the morning." Neji nodded solemnly.

"I think I'll go to bed- wait… DAMNIT!!! Someone's already in my bed." Neji muttered. "Son of a bitch!"

Hinata watched him with a mixture of fear and fascination. "Oh. I was wondering about those marks on your neck. Who is it?"

"No one!" Neji snapped, sulking off to find somewhere else to sleep.

Hinata gazed curiously after Neji, then went to her own room.

Sasuke contemplated just finding some place to crash on the floor, but decided he wanted to sleep in his own bed. He was very tempted to just leave Naruto at the Hyuuga's, but didn't think Neji would appreciate it the next morning. So he grudgingly shook the blonde awake.

"Huh? What? Sasuke? I'm sleeping…"

Sasuke shook him again. "Get up. We're going home." Naruto groaned and sat up. "Do we have to?"

"Yes." Sasuke pulled him to his feet, and he nearly fell back down. Clearly, he wasn't sobering up very fast. "We have practice tomorrow."

"Nggh." Was Naruto's reply. He tried to follow Sasuke as he wove his way through the sleeping bodies, but he tripped over someone's legs and fell hard to the ground.

"Oops. Sorry." Naruto pushed himself haphazardly back to his feet and almost fell backwards again but a hand closed firmly around his arm and held him up.

"You're such an idiot." Sasuke slung the blonde's arm around his shoulder and carefully led Naruto out of the house and slowly started on their walk home. "Why'd you have to drink so much?"

Naruto contemplated this for a moment. "Because- because it hurt! I've tried so hard to make people like me, and they never did, but now that they know what I can do they think I'm the greatest person. And it's not even me that can do it."

Sasuke felt a pang of pity for his friend. "Then why do you keep pretending to be so happy?"

Naruto was silent for a few minutes, and the only sound was their shuffling feet.

"Because if I treated them how I really wanted to they would have just said I was a jerk. No matter what I do, people hold it against me. So at least they can't say I'm a jerk."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, noting the hopeless look on his face. It made him ache, knowing that the blonde was really that miserable. He was supposed to be Naruto Uzumaki, the next hokage, not Uzumaki Naruto, basket case.

A chill went down the Uchiha's spine. He could feel someone watching them, feel them getting closer. Actually, it was three someone's and they weren't bothering to hide their chakra at all.

He stopped for a moment, thinking quickly. There were only three of them, but he didn't know who they were or how strong they were. Sasuke knew he was strong, but he wasn't stupid. A fight between him and three unknown ninja could easily turn out bad.

They were really close now. Sasuke dropped Naruto to the ground and swung around, activating the Sharingan in a split second and blocking a kunai as it whizzed at his head. All three of his attackers landed noiselessly around him and Naruto.

"So, here are two of Konoha's finest shinobi." Came the scathing voice of one of the ninja. All three were wearing masks, but not the masks of the ANBU black ops. These masks were simple, unpainted wood, made for the sole purpose of hiding a face.

"And here are Konoha's most pathetic intruders." Sasuke retorted, clenching his fists. Laughter burst from the three.

"We aren't the ones drunk off our ass's, kid." It was a woman's voice. There was always a woman, wasn't there. "Not too great an image for the last Uchiha."

Sasuke stiffened. So were they after him then? "What the hell do you want?"

More laughing. "We came in search of some of the strongest shinobi around. We had heard rumors of the famous Copy Nin, and who better to kill than a ninja who is in everyone's book? But then we heard about this Uzumaki, who had managed to find his way into a few books, here and there. But what caught our attention was the rumor that he had beat the famous Copy Nin, who happens to be his teammate. It's too great an opportunity to pass up."

"So what, you want to fight him? Good luck with that." Sasuke smirked.

"No." The third ninja finally made his voice heard. His voice was deeper and more cracked than the other two. "We don't want to fight him. We want to kill him. And when better to do it than when he's wasted? You see, by killing off all threats, we soon become in control. Soon, everyone will be coming to us for protection and we'll be selling our protection to the highest bidder."

Sasuke laughed at this. "You'll never pull it off?"

"Of course. What's to stop us from killing the idiot right now?" As this comment left the woman's mouth, one of her partners threw a well aimed kunai at the dazed blonde, only to see it deflected by Sasuke.

"I'll stop you." Sasuke was smirking again. He had no doubt in his ability to stop these clowns now. They had stupidly decided to pick a fight with a somewhat protective Uchiha. Big mistake Sasuke thought smugly.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty 

Naruto watched in confusion as the scene played out in front of him. What was going on? He was struggling to get a grasp on his thoughts, but everything in his head seemed fuzzy.

He hadn't even flinched when he had seen the Kunai fly towards him. Sasuke was saying something. He was defending him. Why?

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Well, then we'll just have to kill you first." Who were the clowns in the mask? And why were they gonna kill Sasuke. Those words penetrated his thoughts somehow, and he slowly started to grasp the scene in front of him. Sasuke was fighting with three ninja. He was fast. As fast as ever. It hurt his head trying to watch the Uchiha move.

But he wasn't that fast. The three ninja he was fighting were obviously skilled. Although he was doing three times more damage than they were, he was obviously suffering.

I have to help Naruto thought to himself. He struggled to his feet, hopelessly looking around. There were only two ninja's fighting Sasuke now. Where was the other one?

"Naruto! Behind you!" Sasuke yelled frantically. His momentary pause in fighting caused him to take a direct hit from a chakra filled foot, sending him flying.

Naruto felt a surge of anger rush through his body just as a very sharp pain burst into his back.

The attacking ninja froze when they heard the yell that came from Naruto. It had been pained, yes, but laced with anger and a sharp growl.

Naruto stumbled and let himself fall to his knee's, clawing uselessly at his back. His mind still was refusing to work, his thoughts were still confused. And through the anger he was feeling, he heard the voice of the fox. You need my help. You know you do. It's my turn now.

Naruto couldn't even fight it as he felt the fox's chakra course through his body, spreading warmth and movement to his cold body.

Sasuke was on his feet again, using the momentary distraction Naruto had caused and was instantly drawn back into the fight with the two ninja. The third was just watching Naruto with wide eyes as the boy started to physically change.

His eyes had turned from their normal, bright cheery blue to an angry red, and his teeth were growing somewhat. His nails were growing longer, cutting into his clenched fists. In a flash the blonde was on top of the woman, pinning her to the ground by her neck. Her mask flew off and she barely managed to let out a shriek before the clawed hands were cutting into her windpipe, the nails piercing deep into her skin. She simply looked up in fear at the animalistic sneer that covered the face of the creature staring back at her. The bloodthirsty creature that was taking her life.

Suddenly jerking her head, The Fox heard a satisfying snap, and felt the life disappear from the human beneath him. Felt the life leave through his very fingertips. Somewhere deep inside Naruto was struggling. But he ignored it. It was his time now.

He was on his feet in an instant, feeling the discomfort of metal sticking into his back. With an annoyed growl, he clawed at his back, ignoring the deep gashes his claws were leaving in the back of his host. The boy deserved the pain.

One of the ninja paused in his fight with Sasuke and stared at the boy who was shredding his back apart, trying to reach the kunai that was deeply embedded there. He saw a clawed hand grasp it firmly and yank it out, watching the blood pouring out of the wound. An instant later, he was staring into blood red eyes and heard what could only be described as a roar and it felt like his chest had been torn out of him.

His chest had been torn out of him. The Fox had jabbed the kunai into the ninja's chest with such force that his entire hand had gone through the man's chest and the fist still clutching the kunai was sticking out of the man's back. His gurgled cry made the last ninja and Sasuke stop dead and stare at the horrible scene.

"Sweet dreams." The voice that emerged from Naruto's mouth was vicious, rough and so low it sent chills down Sasuke's spine.

"W- What the hell a-are you?" The ninja was backing away from the beast as it roughly pulled its arm out of the man's chest and turned its deadly glare on him. He turned and ran.

The kunai was thrown so fast that Sasuke hadn't even seen the blonde move. It hit its target in the back of the neck, and the man was dead before he hit the ground.

The blood thirsty eyes turned on the Uchiha, and he was truly afraid.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty One 

"Aren't you gonna run away?" The voice taunted. The voice that wasn't Naruto's.

"No." Sasuke said firmly. He was trying not to shake as he looked into those cruel eyes, looking for any sign of his friend.

There it was. Buried deep. The slightest glimmer of Naruto.

"You should." The voice hissed. The Fox suddenly appeared right behind the Uchiha, one hand grasping his shoulder tightly, the claws sinking down to the bone, the other grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back. He suppressed a shudder as he felt the warm breath on his neck and the growl in his ear. "Stupid boy. Now you're going to die."

Sasuke tried his best to keep his voice steady. "Are you gonna kill me without looking me in the eye? What's the matter? Can't you handle it?"

A snarl escaped the Fox's throat, and Sasuke found himself twirled around so fast his head spun. He was now staring into those red eyes. Come on Naruto! I know you're in there!

One clawed hand was grasping his chin the other was still grasping his hair tightly, keeping his head pulled back and the Uchiha's neck exposed. He once again felt the hot breath on his neck and the hissing growl in his ear, and this time he couldn't hold back the shutter.

"I can see why the brat likes you." A hot wet tongue ran across his throat, making Sasuke bite his lip hard. The hand left his chin and trailed down his neck, pulling his shirt collar aside. Sasuke yelped as he felt teeth sink deep into the skin between his shoulder and his neck, stopped from going deeper by his collar bone.

"N-Naruto! I know you can here me." Sasuke gasped as the Fox started dragging his teeth, painfully tearing the skin and savoring the taste of blood.

NO!!!!! NO!!!!!!!! ITS MY BODY!!! MINE!!!!!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!!!!! Naruto was mentally screaming at the Fox, trying with all his might to regain control of his body. STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!! He caught the slightest hint of the taste of the blood.

Sasuke felt the slight hesitation and the grip on his hair loosened slightly. Naruto was obviously fighting back. The blonde needed help. His help.

Pain shooting through his neck and shoulder, Sasuke ran his hands over Naruto's belly, over where he knew the seal was. The teeth suddenly left his shoulder and he was hurled backwards as another roar escaped the beast's throat, followed quickly by a strangled yell. Sasuke recognized Naruto's voice.

The Fox was fighting with all his might. Damn that seal!!! Damn the Uchiha!!!! Damn him for taking his time!!! His claws were quickly shrinking, and he desperately started clawing at the seal as a last attempt before he lost control of the body.

Naruto's whole body jerked and he crashed to the ground as he finally gained control of his body again. Pain flooded to him, and the metallic taste and smell of blood filled his mouth and nose.

Sasuke stumbled to his feet, watching the blonde gagging and spitting on the sidewalk, all the while a pool of blood was growing around him. His blood.

"Naruto?" Sasuke stumbled over to him, intent on doing anything in his power to help his friend. But Naruto shrank away from him.

"St-stay away!" He choked out, pushing himself to his feet. "Why didn't you run away!?!" Why did you stay and let me hurt you!?"

Sasuke leapt forward and seized Naruto's arm as he tried to run away.

"Let go!! I can't be around you!! I can't- I killed them!!!!" His voice was so anguished, so horrified. "I k-killed them!!!"

Sasuke yanked the blonde toward him, stepping forward and slamming them into a tight embrace, ignoring the cry of pain Naruto let out and his own aching body. "It's not your fault. I won't blame you."

At these words, every ounce of strength Naruto had left gave out and he collapsed in Sasuke's arms, bringing them both to their knees. He was sobbing uncontrollably, holding onto the Uchiha as tight as he was holding onto him.

Sasuke stiffened as four ninja suddenly arrived on the spot.

"What happened!?!" A voice demanded. A familiar voice that sounded horrified. Sasuke looked up at Kakashi, whose one visible eye was gazing in shock at the blood-covered boy's.

"They're dead." Another voice said. Sasuke could see Gai standing to the side of them, at the edge of his sight.

"What happened?" Kakashi repeated again, coming and kneeling next to his students. He noticed the blood still running steadily from Naruto's back and went to remove him from Sasuke's arms. "He needs to go to the hospital."

"Don't touch him!" The Uchiha snarled, the tone of his voice deadly. Kakashi backed a step away, surveying them slightly. "Okay. We'll take him to you're house. Gai, go get Tsunade tell her what's going on."

Sasuke struggled to his feet, pulling Naruto up as gently as he could, cringing when the blonde cried out when he hand ran over the torn flesh on his back.

Kakashi performed the signs for a teleportation jutsu and gently took a hold of Sasuke and Naruto's arms. They arrived a few seconds later in Sasuke's kitchen.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty Two 

"He's bleeding pretty bad." Sasuke said, carelessly knocking stuff off the table and laying Naruto down on his stomach.

"So are you." Kakashi added. "What happened?"

"We got attacked while we were walking home." Sasuke explained briefly, ripping the back of the shirt open. There were deep claw marks and a single stab wound.

"We deducted that much from the commotion, but that still doesn't tell me what happened." Kakashi's voice was calm, but Sasuke could detect the worry behind it.

Sasuke didn't answer, but grabbed a towel and filled a pan with water and gently began sponging Naruto's back.

Naruto's whole body ached, and he was shaking uncontrollably. He could still taste Sasuke's blood in his mouth, and the blood on his hands was starting to dry and was becoming sticky. He was having a hard time focusing his gaze, but he could see his hand. There were bits of skin under the fingernails.

The room started spinning. He couldn't take it. The taste and smell of blood, the pain that was only deepening, and the aching guilt.

Sasuke let out a yell of surprise when Naruto pushed himself off the table and onto the floor. He wobbled for a minute before he darted out of the kitchen and down the hallway, falling and skidding on his knees twice before he reached the bathroom. The blonde fell to his knees and crawled the remaining distance to the toilet and vomited violently, feeling his pain increase with every heave. Why couldn't he just die? Why did he have to suffer? Why couldn't he just die so that the Nine Tailed Fox couldn't ever hurt anyone again?

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's arm as he hurried after Naruto. "I need to know what happened."

Sasuke growled in annoyance, and quickly told Kakashi everything he had learned from the ninja before they had died. He explained how Naruto had gone off on them. He didn't say anything further than that, but he didn't need to. Kakashi knew enough.

"I'll leave you to take care of him for now." Kakashi said quietly. "I have to go see the hokage." He was gone in a whirl of leaves.

Sasuke quickly darted into the bathroom. Naruto was trembling, hanging onto the toilet bowl for dear life.

He flinched and sank away when Sasuke lightly touched his arm. "Let's get you cleaned up." He gently pulled Naruto to his feet, letting him lean into his chest for balance. He turned the shower on and removed what remained of the blonde's shirt. Quickly he rid the blond of the dirty pants too.

Ignoring his friend's sudden nakedness, Sasuke carefully steadied him for a moment and stripped down until he was only in his boxers before gently leading the dazed blonde into the shower.

Naruto let out a small cry as the hot water hit his torn back and tried to let his knees buckle, but Sasuke pulled him closer, supporting him as he let the water wash away the blood and dirt. He lifted Naruto's chin so the water ran through his hair and down his face, washing away the dried up tears.

"Hold onto me." Sasuke whispered, grabbing the bottle of shampoo and wrapping the blonde's arms around his waist. He used both hands to pour a bit of shampoo into his hair and work it into a lather, massaging his scalp with his fingertips.

Naruto was watching him through half closed eyes. "Why are you doing this?" The Uchiha had no idea what he was doing to the blonde, both physically and emotionally. He was still battling with his desire to just run away from the village and never come back, and now he was battling with his desire for the nearly naked Uchiha.

"You're my friend." Sasuke said simply, once again leaning Naruto's head back so he could rinse the soap out of his hair. "Friends help each other."

The hot water was doing nothing to help Naruto, and their bodies being so close and rubbing together as the Uchiha lathered shampoo in his own hair and the way his eyes slid closed was driving him insane. Sasuke winced slightly when the shampoo ran down his neck and into the exposed bite on his neck, and guilt once again flooded Naruto.

"A real friend wouldn't try to kill his friend." Naruto said bitterly, loosening his arms from Sasuke's waist and leaning instead on the wall.

Sasuke opened his eyes and studied the blonde. Studied the sadness, the guilt, and the pain. "You're right, real friends don't try to kill their friends." Naruto winced at this statement. "So I know you're a true friend." He leaned forward and closed his eyes as he let the stream of hot water rinse his hair clean.

Naruto watched him, not sure of what to say. No matter what Sasuke said, it was still his fault. No matter how much Sasuke didn't blame him, Naruto still blamed himself.

It is your fault!! It's all your fault! Came the dreaded voice in his head, and Naruto abruptly started and slipped to his knees.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke was instantly kneeling in front of him. Naruto felt even more guilty at the look of concern that was drawn across the normally emotionless face. He didn't deserve Sasuke's concern. Not at all. Naruto simply shook his head.

The Uchiha stood up again, turning off the water. He grabbed a couple towels from under the sink and tucked the towels under his arm before pulling a very reluctant Naruto to his feet and leading him down the hallway to his bedroom. He wrapped one towel around Naruto's waist and draped the other one over his head.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." Sasuke sat Naruto on the edge of his bed before leaving the room.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty Three 

Naruto didn't move for a minute. He was so sore, and a chill was creeping over his body.

Sasuke was taking care of him. But even though Naruto had always wanted nothing more than for Sasuke to care even the slightest bit, Sasuke's concern was tearing him apart. He didn't deserve it. He could have killed him, or done so much worse. And Sasuke was acting like nothing had happened. Like Naruto hadn't just tore three people apart. Like the fox hadn't tried to harm him.

So much guilt, so much fear. DISGUSTING!!!! I wasn't gonna kill the kid. I was simply going to play out a few of your deep desires, with a little more blood than when you dreamed them.

Naruto bit his lip hard, trying to block out the fox. But the more he tried not to listen to them, the louder he got.

I'm like an evil conscience. Everyone has those evil thoughts. You're just lucky enough to have more persuasion and more determination to push you to do what you don't have the guts to do on your own. I'm helping you!

"Liar." Naruto muttered, getting up off the bed and searching through his drawers. He found a clean pair of boxers and slipped them on.

Don't deny it! It's your true nature!!! I've been here since you were a baby, and you think I haven't rubbed off on you? Stupid!!!! You like killing people. You want to hurt him!!!!!

"No I don't!!!!" Naruto nearly yelled out in anguish. A wave of heat surged through his body and his knees buckled. His shredded back was screaming, and he could feel the bile rising in his throat as he fought to keep his anger down. That was how the Fox was getting through. His anger.

You can't deny me forever!!!! You will need me again, and next time I won't be fooled by some stupid boy who claims to be your friend. I will kill him. And you will let me!!!

Naruto grabbed fistfuls of his hair and yanked on it hard, successfully giving himself more pain and failing to block out the growling voice in his head.

He had to get away before he hurt anyone else.

Naruto was halfway out the window before he stopped to think. He wasn't dressed. He was hurt. He had no idea where he could go. And Sasuke chose that moment to walk in the door with an armful of bandages and ointment.

"Naruto!"

Naruto sheepishly glanced at the Uchiha before pulling himself back in the room and sliding once again to the floor, looking anywhere but at the stern boy who was watching him carefully.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sasuke demanded, dumping everything onto the bedside table and going to where Naruto was sitting.

"I don't know." Naruto replied quietly. "I just- I can't stay here."

Sasuke pulled him to his feet again and directed him to the bed. "Lay on your stomach. Why can't you stay?"

"I don't want to hurt you." Naruto winced when he felt a hand gently rub an ointment over some of the cuts on his back. It increased the burning feeling greatly before going pleasantly numb.

"You wont hurt me." Sasuke said, carefully rubbing another ointment over the cuts. While the previous one had been to numb the pain, this one would prevent infection. "And besides, what would I do if you left? I want you here. It's nice to not be alone all the time." He was aware of how incredibly sappy that comment was, but he didn't care. Whereas just a few days ago, he wouldn't have even been able to claim that Naruto was his friend, here he was thinking of him as his best friend.

"Heh. Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said dully. He shivered as the fingers traced over the cuts on his back one last time.

"Why aren't these healing, Naruto?" Sasuke suddenly asked as he covered the blondes back with bandages. "I saw those cuts on your arm heal instantly."

Naruto shrugged. The numb feeling in his back was threatening to spread to his brain and he wanted to sleep off the sheer exhaustion that took him over. "The fox is mad at me I guess."

Sasuke nodded slightly, smearing some ointment messily on his own neck. He watched Naruto crawl under the covers, thinking of one of his last memories of his mother as he did so.

"You need to apologize Sasuke." His mother said. "If you don't, you might lose him as a friend."

"I don't care." Sasuke snapped suddenly. "I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends."

"Why?"

His mother thought about it for a minute. "Because everyone needs someone to care about, who will care about them in return."

"Well I don't!"

"You will. Even if you don't now. And remember this Sasuke. Always help you're friends. They are precious."

Sasuke shook his head, swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill at the memory of his mother that had meant so little to him until that moment. Taking a deep breath, he turned off the lights and slipped into the bed next to Naruto.

"What are you doing?" He felt the blond tense up next to him and turn his head to look at him.

"I'm keeping you company." Sasuke muttered. "I don't want you to be alone."

Naruto was silent for a minute, peering at Sasuke through the darkness. "Why?"

"Because you're my friend," Sasuke said, curling into the blankets and the warmth radiating off of Naruto. "And you don't deserve to be alone." He let his eyes slide shut, submitting to the tiredness that had been trying to take him down for hours.

Naruto relaxed, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of Sasuke's body just barely touching his.

They fell asleep just as the sun was starting to come up.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty Four 

Shikamaru woke up groggily. His head was pounding. Where the hell was he? He was in someone's bed. Oh great. And what the hell was he wearing?

"This is such a drag!!" He informed the empty room. How had he gotten there? And why did his neck hurt so much? And why the fuck was he in a dress!?

He got up, and immediately felt a wave of nausea. "I really need to go light on the drinks next time." He shuffled out of the room, nearly running into Hinata.

"Oh, Shikamaru." The girls' eyes went wide, and she blushed deeply. "What were you doing in Neji's room?"

Shikamaru blinked a few times. "I don't know. I just woke up."

"Oh… Okay." She looked away.

"Hey, Hinata, do you remember last night?" Shikamaru asked.

"S-some of it." She looked at him again and blushed even more.

"What's wrong?"

"You- you have marks on your neck." She said. "A lot of them."

"Marks? What kind of marks?" He felt his neck. It was definitely sore. All the way to his collarbone was sore.

"I think they're hickies."

Shikamaru froze. Hickies? Who the hell gave him hickies? "Arg!!! This is such a drag!!! Have you seen my clothes?"

Hinata shrugged. "There's a pile of clothes in the living room, but I think they're Lee's. But there is a gray jacket and a pair of boxers in one the trees outside. I'm not sure how they got there."

Shikamaru just shook his head. "I'll have to go home to change."

Hinata watched him walk down the hall and leave the house, hearing a distinct mutter of "Such a drag." She was fighting to keep down the fit of giggles that threatened to overtake her. She quickly walked down the hall into her own bedroom where Neji was curled up on the floor in the corner. Laughing, she shook him awake.

"What did you do with Shikamaru?" The amusement was clear on her face.

"What? Nothing!" Neji lied defiantly, a blush creeping onto his face. "I didn't do anything with him."

Hinata just laughed.

People were staring at Shikamaru as he passed. He was trying desperately to remember what the hell had happened. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't summon up any memories past the point when Tenten, Sakura and Ino had decided to change his gender for the night.

"So troublesome." He muttered. He was suddenly bumped into by someone who was walking very fast.

"I'm sorry miss." It was Asuma. Shikamaru froze as his Sensei did a double take. "Shikamaru!!? What happened to you!? You're in a dress!!!" He was making a much bigger deal out of it than Shikamaru thought he should. And besides, his head still hurt and his teacher's loud voice wasn't helping.

Shikamaru just shrugged, successfully infuriating the man standing before him.

"Just because you think everything's a drag doesn't mean you should start dressing in drag!!!"

"Hey, I didn't do this!! Some of the girls decided that I would make a pretty girl!!" Shikamaru snapped, massaging his temples. His brain felt like it was going to explode.

Asuma was momentarily distracted by Iruka, who was stomping up the street, dragging Lee by the ear. Lee was in a pair of slacks and a plain t-shirt.

"Iruka!" Asuma called, making the sensei stop, still not releasing his hold on Lee's ear. "Tsunade wants to see you. Lee, what happened to you're clothes?"

"I do not know! I do not remember!" Lee said, before yelping as Iruka shook his head.

"He was passed out and naked on one of the academy training yards!" Iruka explained. He was obviously seething.

"Well, that's funny, 'cause Shikamaru doesn't remember what happened to him either." Asuma shot Shikamaru a dirty look and the other two caught site of him in the dress.

"Shikamaru, do you not remember what happened last night either!?" Lee asked, astounded. "Perhaps Neji or Sasuke will know."

"Why does Tsunade want to see me?" Iruka asked, shooting Lee a dirty look. "I was going to see her anyways but I would like to know."

"She wants to see all the Jounin. Something happened last night." Asuma explained vaguely. "Kakashi and Gai are already there, so Lee, tell your teammates that training is cancelled for today. Come on Iruka, I was coming to get you anyways."

Iruka let go of Lee's ear and followed Asuma as he swiftly walked off, jumping onto a roof and heading towards the Hokage's office. Lee was left staring at Shikamaru, who thought that Lee without green spandex was as much of a spectacle as he was.

"Well, I must go tell Neji and Tenten that we do not have training today." Lee said, but his eyes didn't leave Shikamaru. "It looks like you took part in the wonders of youth and found love last night." He was gone before Shikamaru could retort.

"What a drag." Shikamaru muttered as he dragged himself the rest of the way home. He really didn't want to see his father. Or rather, he didn't want his father to see him.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty Five 

Sakura, Tenten and Neji were waiting impatiently at the bridge. It was normal for Kakashi to be late, and for Gai to be late whenever he was with Kakashi, but for three of their teammates to be late as well? It was downright alarming.

"So, Neji." Tenten broke the silence. "Where'd you get those marks on your neck?"

Sakura was fighting to keep a strait face as a small tinge appeared on the Hyuuga's cheeks and he gave Tenten a classic death glare. "It's none of your business."

"Aww. Is Neji embarrassed? This must be good."

Sakura was smirking. She could remember most of the night before, and was well aware of the fact that it was Shikamaru who had been on the receiving end of Neji's tongue. Neji was giving her a glare that clearly said Keep you're fucking mouth shut.

They were brought out of their current discussion when Lee appeared. His lack of green spandex was alarming, and both Neji and Tenten were momentarily scared that it was the end of the world. Sakura was mildly surprised. She had never seen Lee in anything other than his spandex, except for the night before when he had been naked. She blushed as she recalled the memory.

"You will never believe it! There are so many things going on!" Lee exclaimed happily. His excitement was radiating off him, and he smiled a huge smile. "The Jounin are in a secret meeting right now! Kakashi and Gai are there. We do not have practice today. Iruka Sensei was dragging me off to see Tsunade when we met Asuma and they went off to go see the hokage! But I, Rock Lee followed them, and I found out that some rogue ninja attacked someone last night!"

Everyone was silent at this exclamation. "And that is not all. Shikamaru was in a dress, and he seems to have discovered the power of the wonders of youth last night. He had more hickies than any person should ever have! But he is not the only one who did not take their alcohol well. I was found at the academy, and all my clothes were missing…"

By this point, no one really cared to listen to anything else. Tenten had looked sharply at Neji when Shikamaru was mentioned, and now had a huge smirk on her face. Sakura on the other hand was looking at Neji with a worried expression.

"Do you think the ninja that attacked were the one's watching us last night?" She asked.

Lee stopped talking, and the smirk slid off Tenten's face. "What ninja?"

"There were two ninja outside the party last night. They ran off when the patrol came around. But they were there for a long time."

Neji didn't say anything. He was already putting together what had happened in his mind. They had attacked someone? He was betting that they had attacked Sasuke and Naruto on their way home. Now he wanted to see the Uchiha.

"Neji? Where are you going?" Tenten shouted after him as he abruptly walked off.

"We don't have to train today. I'm leaving!"

Sakura furrowed her brow. She would never get people like Neji, or Sasuke who were always so mysterious. They were so confusing. Maybe that was why Sasuke had never liked her. Because she didn't understand him.

But Naruto… She had seen a side of him she really admired the night before. How he had stood up for Hinata when Kiba wasn't listening to her tell him no. She knew very well that Naruto didn't see Hinata as a love interest at all. He thought she was nice, and a good friend. And he still went out of his way for her.

"Where do you think Naruto is? And Sasuke?" She asked suddenly, bringing Tenten and Lee out of their conversation. Both were laughing animatedly.

"I don't know. They live together don't they? Maybe they made like Neji and Shikamaru and fucked!" They were taken over by laughter again and Sakura rolled her eyes and walked off, trying to fight off the mental image she was getting from that comment. But they were right. Sasuke and Naruto did live together, which meant they were probably both at the same place. Maybe she should go see them.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty Six 

**Warning: This chapter is slightly sexually graphic. I warned you… **

He was dreaming. He had to be. But then why did it all seem and feel so real?

There was blood on his hands. A lot of it. Around him, the village was burning, and people were dead. Everyone was dead. Everyone except Sasuke. But Sasuke would have been better off dead rather than having Naruto stalk towards him with that gleam in his eye and the intentions he had.

NO!!!!!!! Naruto was verbally screaming at his body. But it wasn't listening. All he could hear was the Nine Tailed Fox's laughter. He was enjoying this too much.

Sasuke was hurt. There was blood running down his arm and his leg. His clothing was mostly in shreds. He was looking up at Naruto with a look of both defiance and fear. Fear! Sasuke was never afraid! But I'm scaring him. Naruto started fighting with all his might against the entity that had complete control of his body. It was hopeless.

Sasuke didn't say anything and Naruto watched in anguish as he saw his clawed hands rip the rest of the shirt off his body, careless scratching deep into his chest. He winced, but didn't look away.

Sasuke!!!!! What are you doing!? Fight!! Run!! Get away!!! Don't just let him do this to you!!! Don't just let ME do this to you!!!!! Naruto's mental screams went unheard.

One of his clawed hands wrapped firmly around Sasuke's throat and dragged him roughly to his feet. Still, the Uchiha didn't struggle. The hand stayed clasped firmly around his neck, the nails digging into the skin as the fingers tightened. His other hand trailed down his stomach and ripped open the front of Sasuke's pants, letting the torn piece of clothing fall to the ground.

NOOO!!!!!!! Naruto was absolutely terrified as he saw his friend's boxers get ripped from his body too. He was now completely naked. STOP!!!!!!!!!! NOT THIS!!!! ANYTHING BUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was mentally crying, screaming, fighting with all his might. Only a single tear really fell down the blonde's cheek. It was wiped quickly away, one of the nails dragging across his cheek, leaving a scratch that healed almost instantly.

Sasuke was pushed down to his hands and knees. His body was visibly trembling by this point. Naruto felt waves of terror washing over him as his claws dragged down Sasuke's back and he dropped to his own knees directly behind the Uchiha, unbuttoning his own pants and aligning himself with Sasuke's entrance. His nails dug harshly into his friend's hips, and he sunk in without warning, a scream escaping Sasuke's throat. Naruto was just as bad as Itachi. He was going to break Sasuke, break his spirit, and then he was going to be the only one left alive.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Naruto screamed out desperately, his whole body jerking as he thrashed violently. He fell for a short way, landing with a thud on a cold, smooth surface. Everything was dark, he couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't tell which way was up.

Sasuke had been woken by the blonde only a few minutes before. He had been gasping, and choking, and thrashing around in his sleep. He had been greatly alarmed when Naruto had arched his back and gone stiff as a board and he even ceased to breath for almost a full minute before his whole body jerked and he flung himself out of the bed, screaming out something that sounded like the word "No."

Now he was on the floor in an obvious panic, and was thrashing around trying to get untangled from the blanket. Sasuke leapt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, only to receive a fist in his mouth from the disoriented blonde.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shook the blonde roughly. "Calm down!"

But Naruto didn't calm down. He couldn't. He still couldn't see.

Sasuke slapped him hard on the face. Naruto stopped thrashing and closed his eyes. His breath was coming in gasps.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked questioningly. "Are you alright?"

Naruto slowly peaked through his eyes. He could see the eyelash-blurred form of Sasuke leaning over him. He was so relieved he almost laughed. But then the terror and panic filled him again. He sat up again and stared at Sasuke for a second, taking in his appearance. What had just happened? Had he really been dreaming? But it had seemed a lot more real.

Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes. He looked really scared, and confused, and he could faintly see the slightest tinge of red disappearing from his pupils. "It was the Fox, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked solemnly, not really needing an answer.

Damn you! Naruto flinched as he heard the Fox's voice in his head. You're allowed to have your wet dreams, why'd you have to interrupt mine!?

"SHUT UP!!!" Naruto grabbed handfuls of his hair, pulling on it so hard that a few strands came out.

Sasuke was watching silently. He didn't know how to help someone who had a voice in their head, especially not when the voice wasn't just a voice but a demon that was sealed away and had every intention of breaking free.

Out of impulse, Sasuke reached up and grabbed the pillows off the bed and set them on the floor. He pulled Naruto down until they were lying snuggly next to each other and wrapped the blanket tightly around them.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was scared and timid. "Promise me something."

"What?" Sasuke asked, looking up into the blonde's still fear-filled eyes.

"If I ever lose control again, run."

"Why would I do that?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Because I asked you to."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty Seven 

"Is Naruto alright!?" Iruka blurted out. Kakashi was explaining what Sasuke had told them about the ninja that had attacked them.

"I think he's just a little shaken up about killing three people. He's feeling really guilty." Kakashi said. "But as I was saying, they apparently are part of a much bigger group that is going around killing the competition in a sneaky and manipulative way. We have reasons to believe they are also behind the recent string of attacks on the shinobi from the village hidden in the sand and that they were possibly behind the assassination attempt on the Kazekage."

There was a murmur of interest. "But why would they attack Uzumaki and Uchiha first? There are many higher level shinobi in the village."

"There could be any number of reasons for their attack. They may have just been open targets, but-" Kakashi was interrupted by a very rude exclamation by one of the quieter of the Jounin.

"Or they know about the demon in the Uzumaki boy and wanted to exterminate him! I mean who could blame them, especially if word got around that the demon beat the shit out of Kakashi-" His tirade was cut short by a very angry Iruka, who punched him hard in the stomach and sent him flying into the wall, leaving a very sizable dent.

"Naruto is NOT a demon!!!" Iruka snarled. "He's just unfortunate enough to be containing the thing that would have otherwise killed everyone in the village, INCLUDING YOU!!!!!"

The room was very silent for a minute. Kakashi cleared his throat and was about to start talking again but was interrupted before he started talking.

"Where's Tsunade? What does she have to say about all of this?"

"The hokage went to speak to Sasuke and Naruto herself. She will be back shortly." Kakashi explained. "But as I was-"

"I bet-"

"I'M TALKING HERE!!!!!!!" Kakashi snarled. Once again, the room was in complete silence. Then…

"I don't like it!"

"What if they had attacked the villagers!?"

"How did three rogue ninja get into the village in the first place!?"

Kakashi gave up, and took out his Icha Icha Paradise book and leaned against the wall, silently reading it. He wasn't going to waste his breath.

Sasuke was barely starting to doze when his eyes snapped open. He felt someone approaching. They weren't hiding their chakra at all.

"What do you want?" He asked quietly as Tsunade appeared right above him and Naruto, who was sleeping soundly.

"I wanted to talk to you and Uzumaki." She replied. "You don't look very busy right now… But if you want I could come back later." She looked amused by the blonde curled up into Sasuke's side. "I see you two have bonded rather well."

Cursing mentally, Sasuke carefully slid out from under Naruto, who grunted a little and curled up into a ball. He almost reached down and swept a stray hair out of Naruto's face but remembered that Tsunade was watching. She followed him into the kitchen.

"So, tell me what happened. And I want to know everything. No leaving parts out like when you told Kakashi." Tsunade said sternly as Sasuke filled the kettle and lit the burner on the stove. He had the feeling that he was going to be drinking a lot of tea.

"I didn't-" Sasuke started, but Tsunade cut him off.

"Don't give me that! I know very well that you didn't mention exactly why Naruto killed those ninja. I know you want to protect him, but I need to know exactly what happened so I can help him."

Sasuke couldn't think of an argument for that. So grudgingly, he told her the whole story, including the party and specific incidents before that, when Naruto had been having trouble with the fox. It hurt. It felt like he was betraying the blonde, even though he knew it was for the best and that Tsunade wasn't going to tell anyone.

Tsunade questioned every little annoying detail, making Sasuke remember even the tiniest things, like some abstract comment Naruto had made several months in the past that only now made sense. He drank three cups of tea in the time it took him to explain everything to Tsunade. By some crazy impulse, he even explained that he felt the need to protect Naruto, and was incredibly frustrated that he couldn't help him when the Fox was tormenting him. He didn't know why he was admitting this to Tsunade when he had barely admitted it to himself.

"What can you do?" Sasuke asked, when he had finished talking and Tsunade had been thoughtfully quiet for a while. "To help him, I mean."

Tsunade looked at him, a somewhat sad look in her eyes. "Jiriaya was always more skilled with seals and such, and Yondaime was even better. I never quite grasped the understanding as well as them, and I think that Jiriaya would be the best to strengthen the seal." She explained. "But we haven't heard from him for two years."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Then maybe we'll have to find him."

Tsunade sighed. "It's not that easy to find Jiriaya." She shook her head. "I might come back when Uzumaki is feeling better. I still need to talk to him."

Sasuke didn't reply as the hokage left, using a teleportation jutsu. He looked down at his empty cup. He needed more tea. And he had just used his last tea bag. Great. Now he needed to go to buy some more.

Putting his empty cup in the sink, he stretched languidly, yawning a huge, relieving yawn. He was still incredibly tired from the night before.

There was a hurried knock on the door, and before he could answer it, Neji burst in. He came to a halt in front of the glaring Uchiha, looking him up and down, his eyes coming to rest on the bite marks on his shoulder.

"You and Naruto were the one's who were attacked, weren't you?" He asked. Sasuke was still glaring at the Hyuuga. How did he have the audacity to just barge in like that? And why the hell hadn't he thought to lock the damn door? He was just as bad as Naruto.

"Yeah." Sasuke replied, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable in front of the fully dressed Hyuuga in nothing but his boxers.

"What happened?" Neji asked, or rather, demanded.

Sasuke shrugged. He desperately wanted another cup of tea. "Nothing big."

It was almost funny watching Neji's reaction to his indifference. He almost laughed at the angry look that passed across the Hyuuga's face. Damn. Naruto was starting to rub off on him. Must have been from sleeping so close together. He could have slapped himself for thinking that thought, but refrained.

"Was it the ninja who were watching us last night?" Neji asked. He had forced the commanding tone out of his voice, a great feat considering how badly he just wanted to strangle the information out of the Uchiha.

"Yes." Sasuke said simply. "And there were three of them. And you were right. They were after Naruto."

Sakura approached Sasuke's house uncertainly. Part of her was still yelling that she wanted Sasuke and only Sasuke. The other part was telling her that she needed to stop chasing after a guy that could never be hers. There was a great guy that went out of his way to impress her and get her to like him, but she had always turned him down without a second thought.

"Not anymore." She told herself quietly. She was going to ask Naruto out.

Starting to get a little nervous, she knocked on the door. She heard the muffled sound of voices inside and they stopped talking. A few seconds later Sasuke opened the door, and her jaw dropped. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of gray boxers.

"Sasuke- What happened to your neck?" Her concern immediately outweighed her nervousness of her decision to ask Naruto out.

"What- Oh. It's nothing." Sasuke frowned. "Why are you here?"

"I came to see Naruto." She said distractedly. "Are you sure your alright? That looks horrible. Is that a bite mark?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and retreated back into his house, leaving the door open. Sakura followed unsurely. Neji was leaning against the wall and looked more than a little annoyed at the interruption.

"Hi Neji." She said quietly. She looked at Sasuke again. "I take it your not going to tell me what happened, are you?"

"It's nothing." Sasuke repeated simply. "Naruto has much worse."

"Naruto- what? What happened?" She was frowning.

"We got in a fight." Sasuke said simply. Sakura was their teammate, after all, and something like this was bound to get to her ears eventually.

"And Naruto bit you? What kind of fight was it?"

Sasuke was annoyed. "Be and Naruto didn't fight each other! We fought other ninjaj."

"Oh." Sakura frowned deeper, then a look of comprehension dawned on her face. "You were the ones attacked by the rogue ninja!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and nodded. She was extremely dense sometimes.

"Oh! Is Naruto okay? Can I see him?"

"No!" Even Sasuke was surprised by the commanding tone in his voice. "He's resting."

"Oh." Sakura looked a little crestfallen.

"You can come back tomorrow." Sasuke said carelessly. "I'm sure seeing you will cheer him up, but he's asleep right now."

Sakura nodded. Neji was giving Sasuke a confused look as Sakura left, feeling too awkward to stay any longer than she already had.

"You seem really protective." Neji mentioned. He was thinking of the night before and of Naruto's confession. Did the Uchiha perhaps have similar feelings? And if Sasuke possibly did have those kinds of feelings for a guy would it be okay for him, Neji Hyuuga to be curious about another guy too? All these thoughts passed through his head as he was waiting for Sasuke to respond.

"Well, he's my friend."

That's it? He's your friend? That's a great explanation. Neji thought scornfully. "So?"

Sasuke shrugged. "He needs to be protected."

Neji actually snorted with laughter. "From Sakura?"

Sasuke could see the humor in that aspect of it, and let a small smile slip onto his face. "No, not from Sakura. But from everyone else. Have you ever noticed how bad the villagers treat him?"

Neji nodded. He had seen it quite a few times. People would shout insults at Naruto, kick him out of their store, and even through things at him. And he could never figure out why. The blonde seemed nice enough. But in other news, there was no way the Uchiha's feelings for the blonde were simple feelings of friendship. He contemplated asking about it, but decided not to. What if he just didn't realize how he felt yet?

Sasuke looked thoughtful for a minute. "I need to go out for a while."

"Okay." Neji shrugged. "I don't know if we'll have practice tomorrow. If we don't I'll stop by to see you. Maybe then you'll tell me what happened?"

"Maybe."

Neji scowled, and left, mentally cursing the Uchiha. Why could he just get a damn answer?

Sasuke quickly got dressed, and scribbled Naruto a note, which he left on the pillow next to his head. He grabbed some money and left the house.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty Eight 

Someone was moving stealthily around the room. Naruto opened his eyes just as Sasuke slipped out. A few seconds later, he heard him leave the house.

There was a note on his pillow, right in front of his face. Slowly, he reached his hand up to grab it, feeling every ache in his body as he did so. His eyes didn't want to focus, and he had to force them to read the hastily scribbled note.

Sleeping Beauty,

Went to buy some tea and other stuff. I'll be back soon. Don't worry, don't beat yourself up anymore than you already have, and don't go anywhere.

Sasuke

Despite himself, Naruto let a small smile slip when he read the note. An incredibly nice warm filling had welled up inside him.

But it was almost instantly replaced with guilt. His dream came flooding back, along with another wave of panic. He couldn't stay around Sasuke. He was terrified that he would hurt him. And he was terrified that he would kill someone else if he stayed near any people. That only left one option. Leave Konoha.

Naruto jumped up, wincing as more pain ripped through his body. The Fox obviously wouldn't be healing him anytime soon. Oh well. He could handle it. It was just a little- a lot of pain.

Digging through his drawers, he found a pair of jeans that fit loosely around his waist, and a plain orange button up shirt that he had never worn, but wouldn't hurt his back too much. He buttoned it up, leaving the top three buttons undone.

He grabbed a bag, and started shoving things in it that he would need. Bandages, ointment, change of clothes, what little money he had, and a small blanket. He was busy searching through all his things, some of which were still in boxes when the door burst open and he jumped out of his skin as he found himself under Iruka's gaze.

"Naruto! Are you okay!?" He found himself face to face with his former Sensei who's hands were firmly gripping his shoulders, sending bolts of pain down his back as he was examined carefully.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, wincing and ducking out of Iruka's grasp.

"I came to see you of course!" Iruka exclaimed, still examining the blonde closely. "You were attacked last night!"

Naruto groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. Now he was never going get out of there.

Iruka decided that Naruto passed his inspection from what he could see of him, and frowned down at the half filled bag. "You going somewhere?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "I have to." 

Iruka turned his frown to the blonde. "Naruto, running away isn't the answer here."

Naruto was immediately on the defensive. "You don't know anything about it!"

Iruka looked taken aback by Naruto's harsh tone. "I know more than you think, but if you want, we can talk about it. Want to go get some ramen?"

"NO!" Naruto was shouting by this point. "I hate ramen!! ITS DISGUSTING!!! AND WHAT'S THERE TO TALK ABOUT!!!!!??? HUH!?!?"

Iruka shrank away from Naruto, his eyes wide with shock. "Y-you don't like ramen?"

Naruto snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. "I never have." He turned his back to Iruka, going to the window and sighing as he leaned his head against the cold glass. "I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't want you to find out like this."

Iruka was appalled. Naruto didn't like ramen. That didn't even sound like a sentence. All those times he had bought the boy ramen. All those times he had left him nearly broke because of his ramen obsession… what did it mean then?

"You don't like ramen?" Iruka asked quietly.

"No." Was Naruto's quiet reply. "I didn't want to tell you, because you always looked so happy that you could buy it for me."

Iruka swallowed with difficulty. "But, you could have told me…"

Naruto sighed again. "I couldn't bring myself to…"

Iruka was thinking fast. If Naruto had been so adamant about hiding his hatred for ramen, what else had he been hiding from him? What else had he not felt he could tell him? "What else haven't you been telling me?"

"Heh." Was Naruto's reply, confirming what Iruka quickly diagnosed as a fear.

"Did I ever do or say anything to make you think you couldn't talk to me?" Iruka asked quietly, sitting on the foot of the bed, watching Naruto.

"Sort of." Naruto replied. He was staring blankly at a little girl chasing a cat around in front of a house. Wouldn't it be nice to be that carefree?

"I'm ready to listen." Iruka said, still watching the motionless blonde. "You can tell me anything."

Naruto sighed. "It's not you, Iruka Sensei. I just- I couldn't bring myself to let you see how unhappy I was, how much I really hated myself. How much I hate myself even more now. And I was kinda angry, because you never noticed. There you were, the person who cared for me most, and you couldn't even see through the little lies. How were you supposed to see through the big one's? I didn't expect you to. I figured that if you were the person that cared for me most, then what everyone else felt towards me was loathing. Loathing of every particle of my being. I didn't want you to know that it bothered me."

Iruka didn't respond. The sad tone of voice, the hopeless body language, it was heartbreaking. He felt so stupid.

"I'm sorry Naruto." He stood up and went to the blonde, letting his chin rest on his shoulder and snaking his arms around his waist in a kind of apologetic hug.

The contact caused a huge bolt of pain to shoot across his skin, and he arched his back away from Iruka and let a choked cry escape his lips. His knees buckled, and Iruka jumped back in alarm.

"What's wrong!?!"

Naruto didn't answer. His breath was coming in gasps as the Fox's voice started booming in his head. DON'T LET HIM GO ALL SAPPY ON YOU!!!!!!! WHERE THE FUCK IS YOUR PRIDE!!!!!!!! KILL HIM!!! KILL HIM!!!! KILL HIM!!!!!!!! RIP HIS THROAT OUT!!!!

Naruto once again was tugging desperately on his hair, willing the voice out of his head.

KILL HIM!!!!! KILL HIM!!!!!! IF YOU WON'T THEN LET ME!!!!!!!!!

The Fox's anger made him shiver, but he lost the last bit of anger he personally felt towards Iruka.

Iruka was near panicked when Naruto finally spoke to him. "Don't be sad, Iruka Sensei. It's my fault."

Iruka nearly passed out with relief when Naruto looked him in the eye and spoke normally. He don't know what was going on through his head, but he sure as hell was glad that Naruto wasn't hurt.

"You're hurt?" Iruka asked pointedly.

"What? Oh, yeah… just a few cuts." Naruto said, averting his eyes from his teachers. "Sasuke bandaged them up for me."

"Oh." Iruka frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." This was a lie, and Iruka knew it, but it was obvious by the look on his face that Naruto wasn't going to tell Iruka anything else.

"I have to go to the academy. I left Shino with my class. He's probably out of his mind right about now."

Naruto smiled halfheartedly as he got a mental image of Shino being chased by Konohamaru and his little friends. That would have been a funny site to see.

Iruka smiled warmly. "You know, Naruto, if you ever need to talk, don't be afraid to come see me."

Naruto nodded, and watched as his ex-sensei left. He didn't know what to think at the moment. He wasn't really feeling anything. He was just sort of numb.

He stayed sitting on the floor until Sasuke came in.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty Nine 

Sasuke had come home seething, just in time to hear Naruto scream something about hating ramen. He was guessing that Iruka was in the house.

He had run into Kiba at the teashop. The idiot had come up to him while he was buying his tea and had started running his mouth.

"Hey, Sasuke! Naruto's living with you, right!!?"

Sasuke hadn't replied.

"Well, I found out something really interesting that you might want to know since you're in such close quarters with the guy. You know how he's insanely strong? Well I know why!!! I heard some old guy talking about it! He has the Nine Tailed Fox-" Sasuke hadn't let him finish. He had kicked the fucker in the stomach and sent him flying. He landed in a heap, and got dazedly to his feet.

"Keep you're fucking mouth shut Kiba!" Sasuke had growled. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about!!!"

"Fuck- you – Uchi- ha!!" Kiba had gasped before leaving the shop. Sasuke had paid for his tea and left immediately.

He had waited patiently for Iruka and Naruto to finish their long overdue heart-to-heart, sipping his tea. It was one of the very few things he didn't think he could do without. He liked tea, a lot.

At length, Iruka had come out of the room looking very shaken.

"Did you talk everything out?" Sasuke asked calmly. Iruka had nodded and left very quickly. Too quickly.

He gave Naruto a few minutes to compose himself and then went into the room. The blonde was sitting on the floor next to the window and staring at nothing in particular. He looked up when Sasuke came into the room.

"Hey." Sasuke's voice was gentle. His eyes scanned over the bag that was still sitting on the bed. "Were you planning on leaving?"

Naruto looked down. "I really think I should. It would be better for a lot of people."

Sasuke shook his head and went and sat next to the blonde on the floor. "It wouldn't be better for me." He offered Naruto a sip of the tea.

Naruto took the cup and gingerly sipped the hot liquid. It was somewhat soothing. Maybe that was why Sasuke was so calm all the time. Because he drank so much tea. He gave the cup back, and Sasuke took another sip. "I like having you around. More than I ever expected."

Naruto looked at him questioningly.

"I know I could never have my family back." Sasuke's voice was quiet. "But when you're around I don't feel like I need them as much. Like you fill in some of the hole that they left."

Naruto watched the sad look on Sasuke's face, and leaned his head down on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll stay for you."

Sasuke leaned his head on Naruto's, smiling to himself. "I'm glad."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. Naruto was the first to shift. His back was aching.

Sasuke finished his tea and stood up, grabbing Naruto's hand and pulling him to his feet. "You want something to eat?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure."

Sasuke smiled, and the blonde followed him to the kitchen. "So, I know you don't like ramen, but what do you like?"

Naruto thought for a minute. "I like rice balls."

Sasuke pulled some already made rice balls out of the fridge. "I do too."

Naruto smiled, another one of his rare, true smiles. Sasuke felt like he had won some great victory every time he saw Naruto smile like that. And he personally thought he was turning into a giant sap for thinking things like that. But as long as no one knew, it was alright.

They ate their onigiri in silence, both thinking their own thoughts, which were very similar, if they had only been able to tell what the other was thinking.

They were thinking about how much they enjoyed being around each other.

**hmm… I think its getting a little too sappy… just maybe… but I've never been a big fan of sap so even a small amount seems like too much… oh well… but anywho… let me know if you think its too sappy or if I should start piling on more sap like saurkraut… shudders that crap is gross but u get my meaning, right? Anywho, if its just the right amount make sure I know so that me and my cold heart don't go and completely annihilate any future sap…**


	50. Chapter 50

I know I haven't been updating as often as I used to… School is taking up most of my time at the moment… and I can't afford to just blow off my homework all this year otherwise I'd just say "Screw it"… Chapter Fifty 

Sasuke was sitting on the couch reading, and Naruto was lying lengthwise on the couch, using Sasuke's leg as a pillow. He was happier with the friendship he now shared with the Uchiha than he had ever been before. And he was content. He still had feelings for Sasuke that went much deeper than just friendship, but he didn't expect or even hope that Sasuke would return those feelings.

Sasuke was somewhat distracted from his book. Every time he felt the blonde move at all, his eyes would leave the pages and stare intently at the mass of blonde hair in his lap. He felt so calm and composed with Naruto in such simple contact with him. And it wasn't the calm, composed attitude he normally reflected, because in reality he was hardly ever calm on the inside. But the blonde gave him a sense of peace and serenity.

Both boys jumped when the room suddenly had a third occupant. Tsunade was standing in front of them and staring intently down at them out of nowhere.

"You certainly have no qualms about just barging in." Sasuke muttered darkly, giving the hokage his classic Uchiha glare.

"I don't have time for such niceties. I need to talk to Naruto." Tsunade snapped.

Naruto sat up, and Sasuke suppressed a shiver as the slight bit of heat his head had left on his leg disappeared. "About what?" Naruto was looking at her uncertainly.

"We need to talk about your seal and the Nine Tailed Fox." Tsunade said simply. "I would ask to talk to you privately, but it seems that Uchiha already knows quite a lot so I wont bother."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was keeping his face determinedly emotionless.

"I know that the Fox has been breaking through. I know that we need to strengthen the seal. But I don't know how to do so without completely isolating the fox's chakra from you, which is something I don't want to do. With all the crap you've faced because of the demon you at least deserve to be able to use that chakra." Tsunade paused for a breath, eyes flicking to Sasuke for a moment before returning to rest on the blonde. "I don't know how to do that."

Naruto had been expecting her to tell him of some complicated, high risk plot that might work. He hadn't expected her to admit that she really didn't know what to do.

"You don't?" Naruto asked dumbly, his eyes wide in surprise.

Tsunade made a sound in the back of her throat, probably out of annoyance with the blonde, but continued. "I believe Jiriaya does."

She waited for this comment to sink in. She knew Naruto was more than a little sensitive about his former teacher. After all the pervert had trained him and become a significant part of his life before he left without saying goodbye. He hadn't even so much as sent Naruto a note since then.

Naruto swallowed, averting his eyes. "I don't know where he is."

Tsunade nodded. "That is why I have been thinking about sending team 7 on a mission to find him.

"What!?" It was Sasuke who nearly yelled in surprise. Here Naruto was having some huge inner battle with a demon who wanted nothing more than to break free from the blonde, and Tsunade wanted to send them on a mission? A mission that would most likely be extremely dangerous, as there was a group of rogue ninja that were going around killing any other shinobi they felt were a threat. "Let Naruto go outside the safety of the village? What the hell are you thinking!?"

Tsunade had been startled by Sasuke's outburst. It was rare that the Uchiha was anything less than stoic in front of people, and Tsunade had never personally experienced one of the few time's he let his emotions show at all.

Naruto was also puzzled by Sasuke's outburst. It was one thing to let him know that he did care, but to let anyone else catch onto that fact had never even crossed the blonde's mind as a possibility. He was also slightly offended by the remark also.

"You don't think I'm capable!?" Naruto snapped automatically. He wasn't truly mad, but it really was a let down that Sasuke didn't think he could handle a mission.

Sasuke didn't reply, and continued to glare at Tsunade. His face had once again became void of emotion. "What makes you think Jiriaya would even let us find him? Especially if he doesn't want to be found?"

"Did you even hear me!?" Naruto demanded, giving Sasuke a more intense glare.

"That's why Naruto would have to look for him. He's one of the few people Jiriaya might let find him. He did care for Naruto a lot, even if he didn't show it. And news travels fast. He'll undoubtedly hear about what's going on, and I'm guessing he would go out of his way to help Naruto."

Naruto frowned, looking at Tsunade. "He left without saying goodbye, not even so much as a hint that he wouldn't be showing up for training the next day. How much are you willing to bet on this "guess" that he would let me find him?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, easily noting the slight hurt that the blonde had been hiding all those years. He had never admitted it, but he had been crushed when Jiriaya had left.

"You don't know the reason he left, and I have to admit that neither do I, but I'm sure he didn't just leave for the hell of it. I said I guess because I'm not sure if he would be able to help. I told you before that I think he went after Orochimaru, and we sure as hell haven't heard even a whisper as to either of their whereabouts. It is possible that they both are dead." Tsunade sighed and gazed off into the distance. "I didn't want to tell you my suspicions because I didn't want you to worry."

Sasuke was still watching Naruto, carefully gauging his reaction. A small flicker of pain passed across his face and he sighed. "I knew it was a possibility. But if that's the case I'd really rather he had just left because he couldn't stand to be around me."

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not going to send you on a wild goose chase right away. I want to send some scouts out and see if they could find any evidence that Jiriaya is still somewhere. If any hints are found, then you will try to pick up his trail. Until then, however, I want you to take it easy, Naruto. Don't push yourself."

Naruto nodded, still lost in thought. He was half hoping that they would hear some rumors about Jiriaya and they would soon be out searching for the perverted sannin (sp?). But at the same time he dreaded that would be the case, because it would only prove true his fears that the toad sage had truly hated him.

Tsunade left, glancing quickly at the Uchiha. Sasuke was still watching Naruto carefully, still studying the emotions that passed visibly across his face. He wasn't oblivious to the curious look Tsunade cast his way before she disappeared.

Naruto remained still and in silent thought for several long minutes. At length he looked up and met Sasuke's stare. He held his glance for a few seconds, then laid back down, his head resuming its place on Sasuke's leg.

Sasuke smiled slightly to himself and ran a hand through the mess of blonde hair, gently massaging Naruto's scalp with his fingertips. Naruto let his eyes slip shut and suppressed a shiver that wanted to creep down his back at the innocent but sensual contact.

Sasuke could feel tension in Naruto's muscles slowly dissolve as he continued to run his fingers over the blonde's head. He listened to his breathing get slower and slower until his friend was asleep. He smiled again, a sense of comfort washed over him. He felt needed, something he had only really felt once before. But that time had been dark and disturbing, and still gave him nightmares. Now, for the first time, someone needed him for no other reason than they needed a friend, a person, someone to be there for him. And he needed Naruto even more.


	51. Chapter 51

**Warning: this chapter is sexually graphic… consider yourself warned.**

**Chapter Fifty One**

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he watched Naruto sleep. He had finally gone back to his book, but his hand continued to rest on Naruto's head, his thumb lightly stroking the skin right behind his ear.

He wasn't really reading. He was thinking. But the book proved to be a good focal point to stare at absentmindedly.

He was thinking about Kiba, and how he had just found out about the Nine Tailed Fox. Of course, when he was thinking back on it, it only seemed obvious that Naruto had that kind of secret. But he had never been able to put two and two together. He was guessing it was the same with all of Naruto's supposed friends. They probably hadn't known.

But he had no doubt that Kiba would have opened his big mouth to everyone. Sasuke felt another surge of anger towards the idiot dog boy.

Naruto shifted in his sleep, rolling over so his face was pressed into the lower part of Sasuke's abdomen. He could feel the blonde's breath, hot against his skin through his shirt.

Another smile graced Sasuke's lips. How could anyone despise the blonde, when he- Sasuke Uchiha- the cold, careless, lone survivor of the Uchiha clan cared so much? Even if the Nine Tailed Fox was sealed in his body, Naruto was still Naruto.

Just who the hell did Kiba think he was? And to think he had dared to call Naruto his friend for four years. Sasuke could feel his anger rising, and his muscles were tensing as he contemplated going to find Kiba and give him just what he deserved.

When Naruto murmured something and nuzzled his head deeper into Sasuke's lap, however, all thoughts of Kiba leapt from his mind. The blonde's cheek had gently rubbed over his cock, sending a shiver down his spine and an electric feeling to every nerve in his body at the slight friction. Naruto's breath was now heating the skin right below his belt.

Sasuke sharply sucked a breath of air in and bit his lip as he suddenly thought of how close Naruto's mouth was to his penis. DON'T THINK THAT!!!! He mentally screamed at himself. He took a steadying breath and tried to calm himself down. But he couldn't.

The simple explanation was that he was horny. But Sasuke Uchiha didn't get horny. He became aroused. And he cursed his hormones constantly because he became aroused at the least convenient times, like when his best friend was using his lap as a pillow. And he was currently cursing his mind for thinking dirty thoughts about his friend and only making his "problem" worse. What if he woke up and noticed the ever-hardening bulge that was sticking into the side of his face?

Sasuke almost lost all composure and would have roughly pushed the blonde off of him without an explanation, but was stopped doing so by his conscience. He hasn't slept very well for the past few nights. Just let him rest.

So he was stuck with the problem of extricating himself from the sleeping boy so he could take care of the "problem" without said blonde noticing.

It really wasn't as difficult as he thought it was going to be. It was a simple matter of lifting Naruto's head up enough to slip away. Doing so was just hard because he was- well- hard.

Sasuke all but ran to the bathroom and locked himself in. His clothes quickly ended up on the ground as he turned on the water. For a second he actually paused to think. Did he want release or a cold shower?

He knew what his body wanted. It wanted to ride out an orgasm and enjoy the warmth of the post orgasmic bliss. Something he was more than a little willing to comply to.

The hot water running down his chest and over his erection was antagonizing. He suppressed a moan as his fingers wrapped firmly around his penis, and he started to pump at a slow torturous pace.

He closed his eyes, shutting out the vision of the tiles of the shower, slightly increasing the pace at which he pumped, and occasionally thumbing the tip.

A sigh escaped his lips as he imagined someone else's hand in place of his own. He imagined that a certain blonde teammate of his was pumping him faster and faster, bringing him closer to the orgasm that he was now so desperate for. He imagined Naruto finishing what he had unintentionally started.

Sasuke bit his lip hard to stop from crying out as he released, his cum spraying into his hand and onto his stomach before being washed away by the hot water. He let his body lean against the wall as he enjoyed the elated after-effects.

Then the guilt swooped in. He shouldn't be fantasizing about his teammate. He shouldn't be fantasizing about another male at all. But he couldn't help it. He had always been attracted to males. It was his deepest secret.

He had never wanted Naruto, per say, but had always thought that the blonde was attractive. But he had never lusted after any one person in particular. He just used different guys to get off when he needed to.

Sasuke turned off the water and climbed out of the shower. He was mentally berating himself. He should have just gone with the cold shower option. Then he wouldn't be dealing with his own guilty conscience.

There were many reasons for the guilt. The number-one reason was because of the clan. He was not interested in women. Not in the least. And he would have to be with a woman to have children, which was what the entire village wanted. But he couldn't even bring himself to think about any woman that way. He just couldn't.

The second reason, being just as big a reason as the first, if not bigger was that people simply wouldn't accept the fact that he liked guys. It was unthinkable, and there was only one person he had ever met that didn't think it was wrong. That person was Orochimaru.

He shivered as he thought about everything Orochimaru had ever told him. About everything Orochimaru had ever shown him. About everything Orochimaru had made him experience. Those memories were worse than any he had of his murdered family. It was also why his biggest secret was his lust for other males.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and gathered his clothes off the floor before slipping into the hallway. A quick peak into the living room told him that Naruto was still asleep.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty Two**

Naruto was once again looking at the ruins of Konoha. Only this time, he wasn't convinced. He knew he was dreaming. And he was prepared to fight it with all his might. So when he saw Sasuke in front of him, staring at him with the same fear in his eyes as before, bleeding and trembling, he used every ounce of will power he had to stop walking. He wasn't going to allow the Fox the pleasure of making him relive this nightmare again. He was going to win!

Don't fight it!!! Embrace your animalistic feelings!!!! You want to fuck him hard!! Fuck him until he BLEEDS!!!!!!!!

Naruto was feeling the same terror deep in his stomach, the same dread of what he knew the Fox would make him do.

His body still wasn't moving, and he could feel the Fox struggle to stalk his prey. He wasn't prepared to let the stupid little brat win.

With another jolt of panic, Naruto realized he wasn't strong enough to win. He didn't have enough will power. He was in the world of his mind, a world where the Fox had complete control. And that meant there was only one way to beat him. He had to wake up.

But how did he go about doing that when he was already mentally screaming at himself?

WAKE UP!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!! It was all useless. He had to find another way.

So, for every painful vision he was seeing, he thought of something as nice as he could think of. Eating ramen with Iruka, a conversation with Sakura that didn't end with her punching him hard in the head, just lying there with his head in Sasuke's lap.

He felt a stab of annoyance from the Fox. STUPID BOY!!!!!!!! I DON'T WANT ALL THOSE NICE, PANSY-ASS THOUGHTS!!!!! THESE ARE **MY** FANTASIES!!!!!!

Naruto was thrilled that he was managing to piss the Fox off so badly. He thought of a few more sentimental memories he had stored in his brain and was suddenly jerked awake with such intensity that he found himself standing precariously on the arm of the couch before tottering over and crashing loudly to the floor. It was another few seconds before his vision returned, and another few after that when Sasuke came rushing into the room.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke demanded, looking down at the disoriented blonde. By the looks of it he had just woke up.

"I was sleeping, and I fell." Naruto said dumbly, looking around. He was having more than a little trouble getting his bearings. He still couldn't see how he had ended up that far away from the couch or how he had managed to fling himself so high into the air when he woke. He was sure the Fox had a lot to do with it.

"Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, finally getting the blonde's attention. He had said his name three times. "What's wrong?"

Naruto shook his head, and stood up shakily. "Just had a bad dream. Nothing's wrong." 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. It didn't look like nothing was wrong. It looked like Naruto had just seen a ghost. His eyes traveled past the blonde to the couch, where he could see deep gouge marks that looked very much like claw marks. "Nothing's wrong? Then you just tore up my couch for no reason? That's rude." The sarcasm dripping from his voice made Naruto flinch.

Naruto hated the disappointed tone of Sasuke's voice. It hurt. "I didn't- I didn't mean to. I just- It was a dream…" his voice trailed off and he hung his head. "I'm sorry."

It was Sasuke's turn to flinch. The quiet defeated tone in Naruto's voice was agonizing. "Don't worry about it. I'm more worried about you than the stupid couch. I hate the damn thing anyways."

Naruto smiled a very half-hearted smile. He couldn't quite bring himself to look Sasuke in the eye.

Sasuke shrugged and casually threw his arm around the blonde's shoulders. He led him smoothly into the kitchen and set him down at the table, automatically boiling some water for tea. He shivered a little, and Naruto noticed his mostly clothes-less state. The boxers he was wearing certainly didn't look very warm.

"So what were you dreaming about?" Sasuke asked, still intently studying the blonde. The more he watched Naruto, the more he could see. And not just the stupid little things, like how he tended to smile when he was lying about how he was really feeling, but the deeper things like how much you could tell just by looking in his eyes. But you had to really look, not just glance.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, carefully suppressing a shudder. "It's just the Fox fucking with my head. He's showing me exactly what he would do if he could."

"Oh." Sasuke frowned. "And what would he do?"

Naruto shuddered openly this time. "I don't want to think about it." He closed his eyes, willing away the thoughts that the Fox was all too willingly shoving into his mind at the mention of the dreams. My dreams are your dreams. His voice said tauntingly.

Sasuke watched as the shudder wracked Naruto's body and immediately regretted asking. His own nightmares were enough to make him want to cry like a little girl.

The kettle started screaming, and Sasuke poured two cups of tea. Silently, he handed one to Naruto and sat down next to him.

Naruto was frowning down at the cup of hot liquid. He suddenly looked up, all the doubt and fear he was feeling showing on his face, no trace of the fake happy exterior. "Do you- do you think it could happen? The fox I mean- Do you think he could really do it? Use my body to do what he wants? I always thought that he couldn't, but he did. I still had some control, but it was hard to stop him. Do you think he could take over long enough to finish what he started before he was sealed in me?" There was definitely more than a little panic in his voice.

Sasuke had to look away. He couldn't bear the pain he saw on his friend's face. It was too much. "I- I don't know, Naruto. I really don't."

Naruto remained silent, breathing deeply and sipping his tea. He really didn't need an answer. He knew that it could happen. The Fox knew it would happen. The only question was a matter of when it would happen.

They remained silent as they finished their tea and went to their separate bedrooms.

Sasuke sighed as he slipped into his bed. He had to move around a while before it warmed up enough to chase the chill out of his body.

He desperately wished he could help Naruto. Hell, even if he couldn't help, he wished he could at least understand what Naruto was going through. He couldn't even imagine what it must be like to have some evil demented creature sealed away inside of him, constantly filling his head with all sorts of evil thoughts. He already had enough of those.

No one understands. Sasuke thought bitterly. They can't understand. Just like they couldn't understand why I had to go with Orochimaru, why I needed to kill my brother. He shuddered. He didn't need to be thinking about Orochimaru. Not when he was trying to sleep. It would only serve to fuel on the nightmares. And they had been getting more intense lately. He was almost afraid to go to sleep now.


	53. Chapter 53

**Warning: This chapter is sexually graphic… consider yourself warned**

**Chapter Fifty Three**

Once again, Sasuke found himself in Orochimaru's hideout. It was dark, dank and smelled horrible. He could see himself, talking with Orochimaru, being questioned by him. He felt the disgust and repulsion roll over him as he heard the question that Orochimaru asked him, and knew the answer before his memory-self gave the answer that he would regret giving for years after.

"You do not like women?" There was a sliver of humor in Orochimaru's voice. It was one of the very few times Sasuke had been completely alone with him.

"No." Sasuke shivered at his own answer. He knew it was true, but Orochimaru hadn't needed to know. "They are disgusting."

Orochimaru had smirked. "So, you like men then?" That smirk. That fucking sick, disgusting smirk. Watching the memory play out from the sidelines, he felt sick. Now he knew what was behind the smirk, and he would have given up almost anything to go back and stop the next few events from happening.

"I don't like anyone." Sasuke heard his younger-self reply. "I simply find them attractive." He was so calm, so collected, so fucking oblivious.

No!!! Please!!!! Make it stop!!!!! Sasuke pleaded silently to his memory as Orochimaru stood up, smirking wider than ever.

"I too find male's attractive." Orochimaru slipped behind the younger version of Sasuke, and both him and the present day Sasuke shuddered. "There are many who think it is shameful, but I see no shame in it." He ran his long tongue over the young Uchiha's cheek, causing the boy to jump and try to push away. But Orochimaru grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer.

"I will show you." Orochimaru whispered in his ear, ignoring the shudder that once again wracked the boy's body.

"I don't want-" Sasuke's words died in his throat when Orochimaru's tongue ran over the curse mark on his neck. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as the disgusting, wet organ danced around on his skin, sending shivers continuously up his spine.

Orochimaru smirked again, pulling Sasuke to his feet started to pull the clothes off the boy.

Don't just let him Damnit!!!! Sasuke was still unheard as he watched the clothes drop to the floor. You'll regret it!!!! I REGRET IT!!!

Sasuke trembled as Orochimaru's cold hands glided over his bare chest. "So beautiful."

Orochimaru shed his own clothes and pulled the unmoving boy to him so their bodies were pressed together. Sasuke bit harder into his lip as he felt the taller man's erection poking into his stomach. That disgustingly long tongue was inching its way down his chest now, and those cold hands were firmly grasping his waist. Still, he didn't struggle.

The tongue suddenly lifted off his body and returned to its owner's mouth. "There's a small problem here." Orochimaru whispered dangerously. His icy fingers suddenly wrapped around Sasuke's still limp penis, making the boy gasp. "How do you expect this to work if your not aroused?"

Sasuke wanted to puke. He had lived this memory over and over too many times in his dreams, and he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand seeing himself not struggling against the disgusting fiend.

The tongue replaced the fingers, and unwillingly, Sasuke found himself becoming hard as it slowly pumped him, while both of Orochimaru's hands slid over his chest again.

"Good." Sasuke shivered again at the voice in his ear. "Now… I want you to fuck me."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he tried to jerk away, but Orochimaru dug his fingers into the boy's waist and held him close. "If you don't, I will fuck you. I will fuck you hard. I will hurt you. And I will ruin you. You're too perfect to be ruined."

This time Sasuke bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down his chin. Orochimaru smirked and let go of the young Uchiha. "I'm glad we have an understanding."

Sasuke was fighting back the tears now as he watched Orochimaru turn around and drop to his hands and knees, turning his head and looking at him expectantly. Sasuke swallowed hard, and nearly fell to his knees in place behind Orochimaru. His hands found their way to Orochimaru's hips on their own accord, and he aligned himself, hesitantly pressing his penis to Orochimaru's opening. The man made a noise of annoyance, and Sasuke thrust in as hard as he could, wishing nothing more than extreme pain for the man on his hands and knees in front of him.

Much to his satisfaction, the growl the escaped Orochimaru's throat was just as much from the pain as it was from the pleasure. Without waiting, he instantly pulled out and slammed back in, just as hard. What little fingernails he had were digging into Orochimaru's hips. He continued thrusting in as hard as he could, hoping he was causing as much pain for the man as the disgust that was building deep in his chest.

The disgust deepened infinitely when Orochimaru moaned deeply. Sasuke noted with even more disgust that the man's tongue had snuck down and was now wrapped around his own penis.

Sasuke watched the tears falling down his face, the tears splashing onto Orochimaru's back along with the blood from his bit lip. Every time he saw this, every time his dreams were haunted with this memory, he became more revolted. By the sick creature, and by himself.

Orochimaru moaned loudly as he came, his muscles closing tightly around Sasuke and causing the boy to come. Still, not a single sound passed Sasuke's lips.

Orochimaru let himself collapse onto his stomach, stretching languidly. But Sasuke got shakily to his feet. He grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed. He had never felt worse. He felt dirty. He felt used. He felt violated. But mostly, he felt ashamed.

Orochimaru didn't say anything when Sasuke ran off. He simply rolled over and smirked at nothing in particular. To Sasuke, it looked like he was smirking at him as he watched the memory fade and he opened his eyes and saw his darkened room.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter Fifty Four 

Sasuke could feel his skin crawling, along with the deep disgust he felt for himself. Looking back, he couldn't see how it had taken him until that moment to realize that Orochimaru was a sick, demented freak. Hadn't it been obvious before that? He shivered and suppressed a wave of nausea as the memory flashed into his head again. He remembered all to clearly how he had run off and thrown himself in the first stream he had come to, how he had puked his guts out until he was puking up blood, how he had contemplated ending his life at that moment. How Orochimaru had found him soaking wet and puking, and had just smirked.

A violent shudder wracked his body and he sat up, flinging the blankets off him. He had absolutely no desire to sleep anymore.

Intent on making himself some tea, Sasuke quietly slipped down the hall. He paused for a second outside of Naruto's door.

"I'm not asleep." He nearly jumped out of his skin when Naruto's voice called through the door. He hesitated a minute, then went in.

Naruto was standing beside the window, staring out into the dark street. His blanket was wrapped around his shoulders.

"You can't sleep either?" Naruto asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of whatever he was staring at. Sasuke didn't reply and walked across the room to join him at the window. It didn't take more than a second to find what the blonde was looking at.

Someone had built a crude, wooden fox and a group of ninja were gathered around and using it for target practice. Judging by the way they were stumbling around and missing their target, Sasuke was guessing they were drunk.

"You know, I can't even bring myself to hate them." Naruto said dully as someone decided to light the wooden fox on fire. He glanced sideways at Sasuke, who had his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest, trying to fight off the cold. Naruto saw him hide a shiver.

Sasuke didn't push away when Naruto wrapped an arm around his shoulders, draping half of the blanket over him and pulling him closer so their hips were pressed together. He simply leaned into the heat, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes against the burning fox in the street. A couple ninja on patrol had showed up on the scene and chased the drunken idiots off, and were now attempting to put out the fire before it spread to a house it was too close to.

"People really are stupid idiots." Sasuke said simply.

Naruto nodded. They continued to watch the fire until it was finally out and only a charred wooden skeleton remained.

"So, do you think we're going to become those dark, insomniac crazy people you only ever hear rumor's of?" Naruto asked jokingly, watching as the last of the wooden fox collapsed.

Sasuke shook his head, letting a small smile slip to his lips. "Maybe. Or we could just become nocturnal. Like bats."

He could barely see Naruto's smile. "I think that would be great. Then, we could sleep when everyone else is awake. And we wouldn't have to deal with people like that." Naruto inclined his head, and they saw what appeared to be the same group of ninja sneaking back to the destroyed wooden fox. A couple of them looked around before unzipping their pants and pissing on the ashes. A few of them spit.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if Kiba was responsible for this.

Naruto yawned. He was actually very tired, but he didn't want to sleep. And even when he tried, he couldn't. The Fox wouldn't let him. He would start mentally screaming at him, and already he was sporting a huge headache.

"Maybe we should try getting some sleep." Sasuke suggested, also yawning. He took Naruto's shrug to be a yes and he directed them both to the bed. Naruto laid down on his side, one disappearing under a pillow, the other draped over the pillow, his cheek resting against it. Sasuke slid up against his back, his slightly taller form curving around Naruto. One arm wrapped around the blonde's waist and he buried his head into the back of the blonde's neck. Naruto was a source of comfort, and he wanted to be as close to that comfort as possible.

Naruto savored Sasuke's closeness, and listened to his steady breathing as he quickly fell asleep.

Naruto closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep and ignore the wordless shrieks he heard from the Fox every time he tried. He gave up and settled on staring out the window from his spot on the bed. Another fire sprang up somewhere in the village, and he mentally sighed. It was going to be a very long night.


	55. Chapter 55

**So… I realize that some of the characters are becoming ooc… but the story wouldn't really work if they weren't… hmm…**

Chapter Fifty Five 

Sasuke woke to the early morning sun. His cheek was pressed against Naruto's back, and he sat up carefully, trying not to wake the blonde that he didn't know was already awake. Frowning, he looked over the scabs on his back that were still struggling to heal. So the Fox was more stubborn than he thought.

"Good morning." Sasuke jumped when he heard Naruto's voice, and his teammate rolled over to look at him. He was pale, and he had bags under his eyes.

"Did you sleep at all?" Sasuke asked, already knowing the answer before Naruto shook his head.

"You slept well." Naruto said simply as Sasuke got up and stretched. Sasuke nodded. He quickly slipped out of the room into the bathroom.

Naruto stretched also, arching his back up off the bed and yawning widely. He turned back to the window and continued staring at the roofs of the houses across the street. He had no intentions of getting up yet.

Sasuke shuffled to the kitchen and immediately filled the kettle. Already, he was starting to run low on tea. Maybe he needed to pace himself more.

He had poured his tea and taken his first sip when he heard a knock on the door.

"What the hell!?" He groaned, setting his cup on the table. He stomped to the front door and jerked it open. "What the hell do you want!?" He demanded, then noticed Neji. He looked a little annoyed at the greeting, but apparently got over it quickly.

"Hey, can I hang around here for a few hours? I think Shikamaru's looking for me."

Sasuke didn't reply but went back to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open for Neji. Neji quickly stepped in and shut the door before joining the Uchiha in the kitchen.

"So, why are you hiding from Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked carelessly, sipping his fast cooling tea.

"I think he wants to ask me about the party. I think he knows." Neji was trying to keep his voice steady and keep the blush from coming over his face. He failed miserably.

"So, you think he knows about how you drunkenly attacked him in a fit of passion and are responsible for the many many love bites he has all over his neck?" Sasuke couldn't help but be slightly amused. And he let the amusement show in his voice.

"Yeah. That sounds about right." Neji's tone went cold. "I'm glad you're amused by it, Uchiha."

"Why don't you just tell him it was someone else. He won't remember." Sasuke shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to deal with an over-reacting Neji. "You're making a big deal out of it."

"No I'm not!" Neji retorted.

Sasuke was about to reply when he heard another knock on the door. He just about growled in frustration. He almost wished he could go back to when NOONE knocked on his door.

Sakura was standing at the door. Sasuke thought she looked a little nervous, and she blushed as once again the Uchiha was standing in front of her in nothing but his boxers.

Sasuke silently cursed himself for not getting dressed yet. "Hi Sakura."

"Hi Sasuke." Sakura responded. "I came to see Naruto."

Sasuke nodded. He hoped that Naruto would be cheered up that his crush had come to see him. "He's in his room."

Sakura nodded and smiled, quickly disappearing down the hallway and into Naruto's room. Sasuke stood thoughtfully in the living room for a moment and looked up when Neji appeared in the kitchen doorway. "I hope she can cheer him up."

The first thing Sakura noticed when she walked into the room was Naruto's back. Although the rips and tears were scabbed up, they still looked horrible.

"Naruto!? What happened to your back!?"

Naruto sat up abruptly. "Sakura!? What are you doing here!?"

"I came to see you. Are you okay!? When did those happen?" She came closer and looked at him closely. "You look terrible Naruto!"

Naruto shrunk away from her scrutinizing glare. "I didn't sleep well. Why would you come see me?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You answer my question first!!! What happened to your back!?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Me and Sasuke got attacked."

Sakura's gaze softened. "Oh. I forgot about that. Well are you alright?" Naruto nodded. "I came to see you. I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. I know this cute little restaurant, if you don't mind not eating ramen for a night…" She trailed off, seeing the very shocked look on Naruto's face.

"You mean like a date?" He asked quietly. Sakura nodded and blushed a little. Naruto didn't say anything. His face just showed the surprise.

"I know this is unexpected, but you don't have to give me an answer now. I know I waited for a long time and it would serve me right if you didn't like me anymore. But I would really, really like to go out with you Naruto. So, I'll see you later."

Naruto was still sitting shock still as Sakura blushed her way through the explanation and quickly left the room. Sakura wanted to go out with him? Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Half the reason he had chosen to have a "crush" on her was because there was no way in hell she would ever like him. And now she did. What the fuck was he supposed to do now.

Sasuke and Neji watched a very flustered Sakura come hurrying down the hall. She smiled a very embarrassed smile at them and left without saying a word.

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked. Neji shrugged.

A few minutes later, Naruto came bursting out of his room. He was trying to pull on his pants and walk at the same time and succeeded in falling face first into the wall. Once his jeans were on, he yanked on a red t-shirt and threw on his sandals.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked the very flustered looking blonde. "What did Sakura say?"

Naruto looked at him helplessly. "She asked me out."

Sasuke had to admit he was more than a little shocked. Even Neji was shocked. "And that isn't a good thing?"

"NO!!!!! She's not supposed to like me!!!! She's supposed to always turn me down!!!! She's now supposed to suddenly be interested in me!!! Oh, this is bad!!!" Rubbing his head, Naruto quickly left the house.

Sasuke was frozen. He had managed to decipher so many secrets, seen through so many lies and fake smiles, and he hadn't seen through the fake crush. After all, everything else had been fake, why not the crush too.

"I- I can't- That doesn't make sense!" Sasuke spat. "Does it!?"

Neji was smirking. He was feeling somewhat superior to the Uchiha at the moment. "It makes sense to me. I told you, he opened his big mouth when he was wasted. Why do you think I needed a drink so badly?"

Sasuke just gaped at him.

Naruto was walking quickly through town. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he needed to be out doing something to burn the nervous energy that had just engulfed him.

He nearly ran into Kiba because he wasn't watching where he was going. "Oh, sorry Kiba." He forced a smile on his face. Hinata and Ino were standing with Kiba.

"Yeah, you better be sorry, demon boy." Kiba spat. The smile disappeared off of Naruto's face in a flash. He felt a stab of pain. "Yeah, that's right. We know your little secret!!!"

"How-how did you…?"

"How did I find out? It was simple. I only had to ask some old guy why he was referring to you as a demon. And to think, we haven't known for all those years. It really was amazing how many people heard it for the first time from me. But I'm pretty sure that the whole village knows by now."

Naruto bit his lip. "Oh." He turned and started walking away.

"Hey!!! Why don't you just go away and never come back!!!" Kiba's sneering voice followed him. There was a loud slap, and Naruto glanced back to see Kiba holding the side of his face and a very red, very angry Hinata glaring at him.

Naruto kept his head lowered the whole way through the town. He didn't look anyone in the eye. Finally, he found himself at one of the many training grounds just outside the village.

A few of the trees had pads tied around them. One of these trees turned out to be the perfect vent for his anger.


	56. Chapter 56

**Hey. Thanks for the suggestions. I liked them, and could think of several that I might still use. There were also several that I liked but I don't think they would work for where I want the story to go. But thanks a bunch!!!! I was actually really surprised at the response I got  So, I'm officially un-blocked and here's the longer-than-normal chapter to prove it!!! **

**Chapter Fifty Six**

When Shikamaru saw Naruto on the training ground, he was more than a little surprised that the blonde didn't have a huge smile plastered across his face. After all, he had never seen the more serious side of Naruto. So a Naruto slumped on the ground and crying softly into his knees was alarming. What was more alarming was the blood running down his knuckles and the dark stains on the punching mat, making it apparent that only a few minutes before an obviously emotional blonde had been punching the shit out of it. The two factors combined immediately alerted him to the fact that Naruto was upset. And Naruto just didn't get upset. It was unnatural.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how to approach Naruto like this.

Naruto looked up at him, quickly wiping away the tears and smearing blood from his knuckles across his face instead.

"What's wrong with you?" Shikamaru asked bluntly, a little more bluntly than he had meant to.

"It's none of your damn business, Shikamaru!" The blonde snapped moodily.

Shikamaru sighed. Things like this were so troublesome. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with a certain loud mouthed ninja named Kiba, does it?" his voice sounded every bit as bored as if he had just mentioned the weather.

Naruto didn't reply for a second. "So he really has been going around telling everyone?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. I told him he was an idiot. I've known about the Nine Tailed Fox for years, and he just barely figured it out?"

Naruto frowned. "You've known for years?"

Shikamaru nodded. "I knew even before I knew you. My dad told me. And at first I didn't care. Caring is such a drag. My dad talked all sorts of crap. But after I met you it was obvious that everything he said was a load of shit." Shikamaru shrugged. "So it never bothered me." Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably at Naruto's suspicious stare. "Have you seen Neji? I've been looking for him."

Naruto shrugged, his face once again becoming passive. "He was with Sasuke this morning. They were at the house."

Shikamaru nodded. By "the house" he was sure Naruto meant the Uchiha manor. He had never actually been there.

Naruto forced a smirk. "So, why are you so desperate to find Neji?"

"I have to ask him something." Shikamaru replied. "And he's been avoiding me. He's such a drag."

"Uh huh… And did you want to ask him about those marks on your neck?" Naruto asked teasingly. "When did he give you those?"

Naruto had expected him tell him to shut the hell up. He didn't. He blushed lightly and shrugged. "At the party I think."

"You're serious!!?" Naruto didn't have to fake anything this time. The shock was genuine.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I hate explaining things. Its so troublesome."

"But you're serious!!?!!!"

Shikamaru didn't answer, but walked away, leaving the blonde to stew in the newly learned information along with whatever thoughts he had been lost in previous to his arrival.

Iruka was more than a little pissed. Just walking through the town, he had noticed that everyone was talking about Naruto and the Nine Tailed Fox. EVERYONE!!! How the fuck EVERYONE knew was beyond his understanding. It was like someone had put up fliers.

Speaking of fliers…

"SON-OF-A-FUCKING-BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A roar ripped out of Iruka's throat as he noticed a flier in a shop window. He was seething as he read it.

DEADLY NINE TAILED FOX

STILL AT LARGE

WHERE?

INSIDE A SHINOBI

BY THE NAME OF

NARUTO UZUMAKI

Iruka stormed inside the store and ripped the offending piece of paper out of the window, shredding it to bits and dropping it on the floor. The clerk behind the counter glared daggers at him but didn't get in his way as he tore down the few other fliers that were around the store.

"Don't let me catch new one's up in here!" Iruka growled menacingly, stomping out of the store. Looking around, a new wave of anger rose in his chest as he noticed just how many of the fliers had been posted. They were EVERYWHERE.

He was shaking with anger. "I swear, when I find out who did this, I'm gonna KILL them."

"Um- well, I know who started it." A timid voice said behind him and he swung around, his glare softening as he laid eyes on Hinata.

"Who?" His voice was still harsher than normal, and Hinata flinched.

"Um, well… it was Kiba."

"Kiba!?!"

Hinata nodded timidly.

Kiba was very much enjoying how fast the information was spreading. Already there were fliers up in almost every window. He found it incredibly satisfying to utterly ruin Naruto's life. He had never let it show, but ever since Naruto had beaten him in the chunin exams Kiba had hated the blonde with a passion. Call him a sore loser, an asshole or whatever, he still despised the blonde.

He was unconcerned that Hinata was pissed at him. After all, she still had a huge crush on the idiot. And besides, Kiba was sure that as soon as Hinata calmed down she would come to her senses and realize that she wouldn't want to have anything to do with Naruto. Who would want to be around a demon anyways?

And he wasn't the only one who was thinking along these lines. Tenten was appalled by the news, and Ino was downright disgusted. Kiba was sure that even Shino was less than thrilled, although nothing was ever sure with that kid.

And as far as the Jounin he had been on edge with, they were now hanging out sometimes. One guy's brother had been killed by the fox. He had only been a kid at the time.

And that was why, when Kiba found himself facing a very angry Sakura, he was less than concerned.

"You chauvinistic ass!!" The pink haired girl did hit pretty hard, Kiba had to admit, but his smugness didn't waver one bit. Ino was right there to jump to his defense, and the older ninja were sneering down at Naruto's lone defender, admiring her spunk.

"Come off it, billboard brow!" Ino snapped, using the insult she hadn't used for years. "Don't tell me this is about Naruto!"

"It is about Naruto!!!"

Ino was smirking. "You can't really care about him, can you? You've always said that he's so annoying and idiotic, and you always complained about that stupid crush he's had on you."

"Yeah well I complained about you a lot more! It doesn't mean you weren't my friend!" Sakura snapped.

People were staring at the unfolding shouting match, and the arrival of Hinata and Iruka went unnoticed. A few minute's later Sasuke and Neji also arrived on the spot, eager to see the cause of the commotion, and were soon joined by various other people.

"Well now you have more than a little reason to tell him to stay the hell away from you!!" Ino still had that smirk on her face. "I mean, no one can blame you for not wanting to be around a demon!!!"

"No one could blame me for calling you a bitch and kicking your ass either, but you don't see me beating you to a bloody pulp, now do you!?" Sakura retorted, watching the smirk slide off Ino's face. "I've never had a problem with the fact that Naruto has the Nine Tailed Fox in him! And I've known about that for a long time!!!!"

Sasuke felt a stab of annoyance. Sakura knew about the fox? Then how the hell had he not known? At the same time he was feeling considerably less dislike towards the normally annoying girl.

"You've known!? All this time? And you haven't said anything!?" Kiba suddenly butted back in.

"It's not my place to tell you about Naruto's PERSONAL problems, Kiba!" Sakura was nearly screaming by now.

Kiba ignored her comment. "How can you stand up for that demon? That's disgusting!"

"YOU'RE DISGUSTING!!!!"

Iruka had to fight very hard with himself to not attack Kiba on the spot. He desperately wanted to beat that stupid smirk off his stupid face, but had to refrain. He was a teacher…

Kiba kept going. "The demon's the disgusting one! I'm surprised you haven't been killed or raped, I mean being so close to such a beast!"

Iruka didn't care that he was a teacher. All he knew was that he was going to beat that little fucker until he was DEAD!!!!!!!! Or he would if Sasuke didn't beat him to it.

Unnoticed to anyone, a deadly glare had come into Sasuke's eyes as he heard the words leaving Kiba's mouth. Hearing the stupid fuck calling Naruto a "demon" and a "beast" sent him into a cold fury.

Kiba didn't even see it coming. Hand grabbed the front of his t-shirt and a fist collided heavily with his jaw. He would have flown backwards if the hand hadn't kept a secure hold on his shirt and jerked him forward so that he was staring eye to eye with a very pissed off, Sharingan activated Uchiha.

"Naruto is NOT a demon!!!!" Sasuke's voice was dangerously low, but no one was moving or speaking, so everyone heard it. "He's a hell-of-a-lot better than you will ever be, both as a shinobi and as a person. You stupid FUCKSHIT!" The last word was screamed, and everyone flinched when Sasuke released Kiba, only to kick him so hard in the stomach that he flew through the window of the building they were standing in front of. "So keep your fucking mouth shut."

Whether or not Kiba could have heard Sasuke's last comment was a mystery. The Uchiha glared around at everyone, daring them to make a sound. Then, his usual emotionless look returned to his face, and he walked off, the crowd shuffling away from the terrifying last member of the Uchiha clan.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter Fifty Seven 

Naruto was still sitting on the training ground dejectedly. He had been there most of the day, and the sun was sinking fast. A cold breeze had started to pick up almost an hour ago, and was turning into a harsh wind, bringing with it dark clouds that could still be seen by the light of the setting sun.

A storm was coming. Naruto was watching the clouds loom closer, ignoring the cold wind in his face. Storms weren't normal this time of year.

But it didn't really matter to him. Not in the least. His life had gone to shit anyways. His encounter with Shikamaru had left him hopeful that not everyone hated him. But that hope had nearly been annihilated when Tenten had passed by. He had said hi, like any normal person would when they saw someone who could be considered a friend, right? But she obviously didn't think of him as a friend anymore.

"Don't say hi to me, demon boy!" Her voice was still echoing in her head.

Yes, he had never been close to Tenten, but she had always been decently nice to him. And he had never gone out of his way to get on the weapon's expert's bad side, so he didn't think she was just looking for a reason to hate him.

No. She knew about the Nine Tailed Fox, and that was personal. It was all personal.

After all, the Nine Tailed Fox had murdered a lot of people. The thing he would sometimes become had murdered a lot of people.

Naruto shuddered, trying to fight off the despair that was threatening to engulf him. What if everyone hated him? Well, not everyone. Shikamaru didn't. And Sasuke didn't. And neither did Iruka, or Kakashi. And maybe a few other people he didn't know about yet.

But they were only a few people.

Even if a lot of people had hated him before, there were still quite a few people that were okay with them, because they didn't know about the fox. Now, he was certain that almost everyone was going to turn their backs on him. Everyone was going to make a point to show just how much they hated the Nine Tailed Fox.

The clouds were just teasing now. The air smelled like rain, the last bit of light was disappearing behind the horizon, and the dark clouds were turning the sky very black.

Naruto got warily to his feet. He didn't really want to get caught in the rain, but he also didn't want to walk through the village. He didn't want to have to endure the dark looks and shouted insults he got from the people he passed. No. He would wait until the storm started and everyone was inside out of the rain. Then he would go home.

Home? Naruto questioned himself. Yes. Home to Sasuke.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk with her head in her hands when Iruka arrived, looking extremely pissed off. She knew exactly why the teacher was there.

She knew, because all day people had come in with complaints. Complaints about Naruto. Complaints about having the Nine Tailed Fox living among them. And with those complaints, there had been demands. Plenty of demands. Plenty of people insisting that their demands were met.

Many of those demands consisted of various exiles and executions for the fox, with absolutely no consideration for the boy whose body the fox was sealed in. No consideration for Naruto at all.

And of course there had been the few people that came in and demanded to know exactly why EVERYONE in the town knew Naruto's secret now. Wasn't it supposed to not be general knowledge? Wasn't it supposed to not be a widely known fact?

And now, Iruka was the fourth person that had barged in to express their anger that something like this could happen to Naruto. Only the fourth. Tsunade was fighting very hard not to resent the entire village for turning on the loud-mouthed ninja that she was rather fond of. Not that he was loud mouthed anymore. She knew from her sources that Naruto had been somewhat plunged out of his hyper-active-ness as of late. And she didn't think it was so much a plunge as it was a slip. She didn't think he had intentionally stopped being happy.

"It's a disaster!" Iruka was red in the face and fuming. "Do you know what's going on? I thought it was bad before that Naruto had to deal with the villages dislike, but this is disgusting!! They're treating him like he is actually the demon that attacked the village!"

Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, wondering if a migraine was enough to get her out of her duties for a while. She desperately wanted to go lock herself in a room somewhere with a few bottles of liquor. "I know, Iruka. I know."

Iruka frowned at her. "What are we going to do about it?"

"I'm trying to figure out a solution." She said simply, lifting her head out of her hands and staring intently at the irritated Jounin. "I have had more people come in here demanding that I-" Her fists clenched tightly. "-with outrageous demands." She slammed her fist on the desk. "DAMNIT! I don't need this right now!!!! The Kazekage is going to be here in a few days! I have enough to worry about without people telling me that I need to get rid of Naruto!!!!" She slumped her head down on the desk.

Iruka didn't say anything. He was busy fighting with the fresh wave of anger that washed over him. Get rid of Naruto…

"That's it!!!" Tsunade suddenly sat up, a piece of paper sticking to the side of her face. She batted it away and it fell to the ground. "I'll get rid of him!"

Iruka blanched. She'd what!?!

"I'll send team 7 on a mission!!!!"

Iruka breathed a sigh of relief. Of course Tsunade wouldn't really consider what he thought she was considering. She could never agree to kill Naruto.

"I was going to send them on a mission anyways, as soon as I any information came about Jiriaya's whereabouts!! I'll just send them anyways!!! Then, Naruto won't have to deal with the villagers, and the villagers will be off my back while the Kazekage is here!!!" Tsunade rummaged around on her desk and started filling out a mission form. "Iruka, tell Kakashi to come see me immediately!"

Iruka was somewhat enthralled by the way the hokage's mind worked so quickly and found a decent solution to a problem he himself would have lost many nights of sleep over. Without another word he went off in search of the silver haired Jounin.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter Fifty Eight 

Naruto was very frustrated when it didn't start raining. When it rained, people went inside. When people were inside, they didn't shun someone who was outside. It was simple logic. Or at least to Naruto it was.

But it was really starting to get cold, and Naruto was only wearing a t-shirt and his jeans. So he resolutely started walking home.

Almost everyone was already inside, although whether from the darkness or from the impending storm Naruto wasn't sure. A few people were walking this way or that, but no one was really paying attention to anyone besides themselves. Naruto was more than happy to ignore them too.

Or he was until he heard a voice he easily recognized, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Take it back!" There was some shuffling and an angry cry. It was coming from a small alley between two stores. "Take it back! He is not a heartless demon!!"

Naruto walked up to the group of four boys. It was Konohamaru that was wrestling with one of the others, who Naruto vaguely recognized from the academy.

"Hey." Naruto said, catching all four boy's attention. Konohamaru wrenched himself out of the grasp of the suddenly frozen boy.

"Hi Naruto!" Konohamaru bounded to his side, grinning widely. The other three boys stared for a second, their eyes wide with- wait- was that fear? Yes it was. They then turned and ran.

"Hi Konohamaru." Naruto said, looking down at his own personal mini-me. Konohamaru was going to be graduating from the academy that year and becoming a Genin if he passed the test. The kid had never grown out of his admiration for the blond.

"Hey boss! They were talking shit so I had to put them in their place!" Konohamaru chirped happily. "I mean, they were saying that you were evil, but I've known you for years and you don't seem evil!"

Naruto smiled. As annoying as Konohamaru was, Naruto like the little idiot. The grandson of the late third hokage could make him feel like a kid. And really feel like a kid. He had more fun pulling pranks with him than he ever had by himself. "Thanks Konohamaru! I owe ya one!"

Konohamaru beamed. "You sure do! Come on! I'll walk you home!!"

Naruto didn't protest at all as Konohamaru followed him to the Uchiha manor. He was enjoying company that wasn't hateful.

Well, he was enjoying it until he felt someone else's presence. Or rather several someone else's.

"Hey!!! Demon boy!!!" Naruto cringed as a harsh voice rung through the air. He found himself facing three Jounin that he had never really known. The most he had seen of them was when they were emerging from the hokage's office.

"He's not a demon!!!" Konohamaru yelled haughtily. "And he could kick your ass!"

Naruto smacked his forehead and mentally cursed the loud boy. He found himself feeling somewhat aggravated that Konohamaru could have so much confidence in him.

"Yeah!! We all know that very well!" One of the Jounin said, glaring coldly at Naruto. "He could do a lot more damage than just kicking our asses too."

Naruto shrugged off his words. "Go home Konohamaru. We don't need to waste our time with these losers." He was more worried about the kid opening his mouth anymore and getting hurt for saying the wrong thing.

"But boss! You can take them!!! I know you can!!!"

Naruto smiled once again. "Just because I can doesn't mean I'm going to. I don't need to fight them. Part of being a good shinobi is choosing your fights." Iruka had told him that on several occasions, and he hoped it would be enough to convince the younger ninja to go home. He really didn't want Konohamaru involved.

The older ninja watched the exchange in silence. They were more than a little irked. This blond idiot could beat their asses? They didn't think so. And they were going to prove it.

"Alright boss, but only because you said so." Konohamaru shrugged. "Bye boss! And don't go easy on them if they piss you off!"

Naruto shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to walk around the three Jounin whose names he still couldn't think of. Maybe he should really pay more attention to his fellow ninja.

He was stopped from passing when one of the shinobi, significantly taller than him purposely moved in his way. "Just where the hell do you think you're going?"

Naruto tried to walk around him again without answering, but the guy moved in his way again. He felt a stab of annoyance. "Fuck off! I'm trying to go home!"

The guy laughed and roughly shoved Naruto back, causing him to stumble a few steps. "Like we're just going to let you leave without being punished."

"Being punished for what?" Naruto snapped threateningly.

"For existing!" One of the Jounin stepped forward and landed a hard punch in Naruto's stomach.

The blond responded by laughing. "You're a little late. I've been punished for existing my whole life. This isn't anything new!"

And it was true. It wasn't new. He used to get beat up for a long time before he had finally grown strong enough to defend himself.

He was met with another uppercut, this time hitting him in the chest. Still, he did nothing but laugh. There was no way he was going to sink low enough to take their bait. He knew what they wanted. They wanted to see him unleash the Fox. But Naruto wasn't going to. Not again.

The next blow was a strong kick to his chest that sent him flying back, and he barely managed to land on his feet. Next he jumped high to dodge the wave of Shurikan that were aimed for him. So they were going to play dirty, eh?"

Naruto leapt up to the roof of the nearest building, looking down at the three Jounin who were still smirking dangerously at him. Time for him to make like the ginger bread man.

He focused his chakra into his legs, or as much chakra as he dared to use. It had been too long since Naruto had been able to find the dividing line between his chakra and the Fox's. There wasn't a transition between the two anymore. And he wasn't about to delve too deep into the Fox's chakra.

He took off, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, each time landing with grace and agility, switching directions every few seconds. He could feel all three of the Jounin following hot on his trail, and he sped up.

Naruto was mid leap when it happened. His chakra flow wavered, and then stopped altogether. What the hell!? He hadn't used hardly any of it!

Hehe… naïve little boy. You think I'm going to just let you use my chakra now? When you've been so adamantly rejecting it? I don't think so.

"Stupid Fox!!!!" Naruto cursed loudly, landing loudly on a rooftop. Where the fuck did **my** chakra go? He demanded mentally. All he could feel in him was the annoyingly low amount of chakra he needed to stay conscious. Damnit!!!

He felt the responding scoff, but didn't receive an answer.

The three Jounin had all landed on the same roof, but didn't approach the blonde. Stupid Fox?

"Well what the hell are you waiting for?" Naruto snapped at the unmoving ninja. "I'm open and defenseless, so hit me already!!"

The Jounin still didn't move. They were more than a little suspicious. There he was, right in front of them, and he was hiding his chakra so well that they couldn't feel it. What the hell was he up to?

"Leave him." One of the ninja stated. He was obviously the ringleader of the group. "We don't know what to expect from a demon. He's up to something."

Naruto was utterly perplexed when all three of the Jounin suddenly took off, leaving him unopposed and unpursued. He wondered if it was some sick joke. So, when he was truly defenseless, the idiots didn't attack, and when he was drunk and stupid and the Fox easily took over he was attacked by other shinobi that ended up dead. It was more than a little ironic. The one time he couldn't do harm was the one time his attackers were too cautious to try anything.

Shaking his head, he jumped down from the roof, landing unsteadily on the ground and hearing an angry yell from the owner of the house who had come outside to investigate what was making so much noise on his roof.

Naruto ignored the angry shouts and curses coming from the man and once again continued his walk back to the Uchiha manor. He really wanted to take a hot shower and go to bed.


	59. Chapter 59

**So this is a short chapter, but unfortunately I must once again rush to catch up with my homework… I am like a master slacker when it comes to homework… I swear, only I could come up with a way to procrastinate on work that is already two weeks past its due date- and that's an usual occurrence… **

**Chapter Fifty Nine**

Unfortunately, he would have to wait for both the shower and the bed. When he was finally walking in the door, his attention was drawn to four people that had been sitting there and impatiently waiting for him to arrive.

Of course, Sasuke was one of those people. The other three were Sakura, Kakashi and Iruka.

"Naruto!" Sakura jumped up and threw her arms around the blond. He almost fell over from her added weight, and she quickly backed off. "Are you okay?"

Naruto nodded, still gazing at the other occupants of the room. He met Sasuke's intense stare before bringing his attention to the two Jounin in the room. "What's going on?"

"We have a mission." Kakashi said brightly. "You should be thrilled! It's an A-ranked mission!"

"What kind of mission?" Naruto asked quietly. He was pretty sure he already knew that answer though. There was only one mission that he knew of that could possibly rank anywhere near an A-ranked mission. And that was the one that Tsunade had suggested.

"Tsunade wants you to find Jiriaya." It was Iruka that answered. He looked very strained and was fidgeting. "Naruto, are you okay?"

Naruto looked at his former sensei with mild surprise. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

There were plenty of reason's why everyone in the room thought he wasn't okay, the number one being his very quiet, very calm disposure at that moment. He hadn't reacted at all to the news of the mission.

"We're leaving early tomorrow morning." Kakashi explained, breaking the silence that was starting to become awkward. "Before sunrise."

Naruto nodded in affirmation. "So, what did Tsunade tell you? Did they find out any news?"

Kakashi looked mildly confused for a moment. "Did who find out any news?"

Sasuke was now looking at both the older ninja instead of Naruto. It was a good question to ask, after all, the hokage had said she wouldn't send them on a wild goose chase.

"The scouts she sent to find out any news about Jiriaya." Naruto explained calmly. "She said she wasn't going to just send us out there blindly."

Kakashi frowned, or rather his one visible eye did. "She didn't say anything about that."

Iruka cleared his throat and shifted from one foot to the other. "No. She didn't hear any news. There's another reason she's sending you guys on this mission." His eyes came to rest on Naruto, and no one had to ask exactly what he meant.

"So, the old hag is just trying to get rid of him?" Sasuke snapped. He was still very angry about everything that had occurred that day, and the slightest little irritations were threatening to set him off again.

"No. Well I don't think so at least." Iruka mused, turning his eyes to the Uchiha. Since when had he been so protective of Naruto? He had been wondering that earlier when Sasuke had attacked Kiba, but he hadn't really given it much thought. "The villagers are about to cause a riot, and this is just as much for Naruto's sake as it is for the hokage's sake."

Naruto shrugged. "It makes sense to me."

"Why? Because everyone's too pig headed to see past your little problem?" Sakura scoffed. "It isn't fair to you!"

Naruto met her angry, determined glare for a minute. She looked so serious. Then, he burst out laughing. Real, mirthful laughter that brought him to his knees and made everyone briefly question his sanity.

"What's so funny!?" Sakura was very much put out. Here she was defending the idiot and he was laughing! Laughing!! About what!?!

"My- gasp little problem!?!" Naruto continued laughing.

"Yeah- well- It is a little problem!!" Sakura couldn't help but smile at the hysterical blonde.

Iruka was absolutely beaming. He wasn't exactly happy, given the circumstances, but he definitely found the situation a lot less upsetting when Naruto could laugh such a loud, contagious, laugh. His own knees were already starting to buckle he was laughing so hard.

And soon Sakura was too. Kakashi was smirking under his mask, and joined in the laughter when he saw Sasuke's face. The Uchiha was wearing a look that clearly stated "I'm surrounded by IDIOTS" and Kakashi thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

At length, the laughter died down, leaving four people gasping for breath and the fifth still scowling at the stupidity of it all. He didn't see what was sooooo funny.

Sakura was still giggling as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to go get ready and get some sleep. We need to be well rested for tomorrow." She bent down and gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek before hurrying out the door, trying desperately to hide her blush.

Iruka started laughing again, a much quieter and calmer laugh than before. The shocked look that came to Naruto's face when Sakura had kissed him was priceless.

Naruto, meanwhile, was having a very huge inner battle with himself. Sakura had kissed him. That morning she had asked him out, and now she had kissed him. On the cheek, but it was still a kiss, still a sign of affection.

What the fuck was the world coming to? Why was EVERYTHING turning against him!!?!!

Kakashi stood up, once again looking completely serious. "You too should probably get some sleep. And be ready to leave by five tomorrow morning. We'll leave from here." Kakashi performed a few hand signs and was gone in a whirl of leaves.

Iruka was still smiling when he got up from the floor. "Bye, Naruto. Be safe! I'll see you when you get back."

Naruto smiled up at him, still trying to fight off the shock that had come with Sakura's kiss.

Iruka left, and Naruto turned his attention to the still unsmiling Uchiha.


	60. Chapter 60

**Okay, so there is a lot of talking in this chapter… but it was still needed… well I didn't need all of it, but some of it was kind of important for the overall story so I added the rest so that it wouldn't be an insanely short chapter… overall though, this was one of those filler chapters that serves the purpose of getting from point A in the story to point B… so… not sure how enjoyable it is, but don't worry the next chapter will have some action (Sorry, but by action I don't mean sex… that comes later… not sure how much later though…)**

**Chapter Sixty **

Sasuke didn't know why, but he had been incredibly irked when Sakura had kissed Naruto. And even now, he was trying not to be angry with the blond for "allowing" her to do it. Was he jealous?

NO!!! He couldn't be… Could he?

Apparently he could.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice brought him out of his thoughts. The blond was looking at him uncertainly. "You don't look very happy- not that you ever look really happy- but you look even less happy than normal."

"Hn." Sasuke leaned his head back on the couch. "Its nothing." He carefully looked the blond over. It wasn't obvious, but he could see the exhaustion. "What have you been doing all day?"

Naruto frowned, but didn't answer right away. Instead, he lifted himself up off the floor and flopped down on the couch next to Sasuke. "I was at the training grounds."

"All day?" Sasuke's eyes had quickly traveled to Naruto's hands, which were now resting gingerly on his thighs. Naruto followed his gaze. His knuckles were caked with blood that had been dry for a few hours, and his wrists were swollen from hitting the tree too hard.

"Yeah, well, I had a lot of steam to blow off. You know, with the villagers. And I ran into Kiba." Naruto sighed.

Sasuke got up, and disappeared into the kitchen, and Naruto was left briefly wondering if he had done something to piss the Uchiha off. But a second later, he was back with a couple wraps and a wet cloth. Without saying a word, he gently picked up one of Naruto's hands and started wiping away the dried blood. Naruto winced as the cloth brushed over the raw skin.

"You're still not healing?" Sasuke asked as he examined the now clean hand before wrapping the wrist tightly.

"No." Naruto shook his head as Sasuke began the process on his other hand. "The Fox is mad at me for not letting him out of his cage."

Sasuke paused in his movements for a second, another revelation suddenly coming to his brain. Again, he could have slapped himself for not realizing it sooner. It was just another one of those things that made it even more obvious that the Fox was sealed inside Naruto. He had always healed incredibly fast. Impossibly fast. He mentally shrugged it off and continued to wipe away the dried blood.

"Thanks." Naruto said quietly when Sasuke finished wrapping his wrist.

"Don't mention it. I'm guessing there's a wall out there that is suffering from your anger?"

Naruto smiled weakly. "No. It's a tree."

"Poor tree."

"Hey, the tree did more damage to me than I did to it!" Naruto exclaimed. "And besides, if it wasn't the tree it would have probably been Kiba."

Sasuke was smirking. "Hmm. Well, I have a different point of view. If it hadn't been Kiba I would have beaten some poor innocent plant. At least I have some decency." He was enjoying this mindless banter with Naruto. It was relaxing. Especially with his anger still boiling so close to the surface.

"Wait! What does that mean!? Did you beat Kiba?" Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"He needs to keep his mouth shut." Sasuke said simply. "He had it coming." He watched the blonde's reaction, carefully gauging the flicker of anger and decided to change the subject. "So. I didn't know you didn't like Sakura."

Naruto had just opened his mouth to speak and froze, processing this simple statement. "Oh. Well. I don't."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Obviously. But why would you pretend to like her for so long?"

Naruto shifted nervously. They were getting into very uncomfortable territory now. He definitely didn't want to be discussing this with Sasuke. "Well, because of what people said."

"What did they say?" Sasuke didn't know why he was so curious about this in particular. Before, he had never cared about Naruto's "crush" on Sakura, so why was he finding it all so interesting now? But then again why had he started caring at all about Naruto the past few days? He still passed it off on the newfound friendship. Maybe they should have made that bond a long time ago.

Naruto shifted nervously again. "Well, they said- I just needed to, alright!"

The slight smirk that Sasuke had been wearing slid off his face at the blonde's obvious annoyance. "What did they say?" He persisted. "You can tell me."

"I don't want to talk about it!" Naruto snapped. "It wasn't anything nice!"

"Hardly anything ever is." Sasuke snapped back. "It can't be worse than the other shit they've said."

"You really want to know that bad!?! They said I was gay, alright!!?" A blush spread across Naruto's face, and he turned away from Sasuke, staring intently at the wall instead. They were getting WAY to close for comfort now.

"Is that all?" There was definite amusement in Sasuke's voice now.

Naruto turned his glare to Sasuke so fast it was surprising he didn't get whiplash. "Its all fine for you, Uchiha. It's understandable that you wouldn't have a crush! You're Sasuke Uchiha, lone survivor and avenger of the Uchiha clan! You didn't have time to be thinking about girls! But when I didn't show interest in dating at that ridiculously low age there was something wrong with me!"

Sasuke was very taken aback. Who knew it could be such a sensitive subject. "I didn't mean-"

Naruto shook his head. "Whatever. Forget it."

Sasuke hesitated on what he was going to ask next. He wasn't sure how much Naruto could get from it. "Well, its not- it's not that bad is it? I mean…"

Naruto gazed at the Uchiha quizzically. "Well, I didn't think so… but everyone else was telling me how disgusting I was…"

"Oh."

To Naruto, it was obvious that Sasuke didn't want to go any deeper into the subject. But Sasuke had pushed him, so what was a little payback?

"Why? You know someone who is?"

Sasuke kind of stiffened up. "Do you?"

Damn him for turning it around. Naruto silently cursed. "Maybe."

"Maybe." Was Sasuke's reply. There was a smirk on his face now.

Naruto returned the smirk. It was a game now, whereas a second ago it had been a challenge. But his smirk faltered for a second as he considered really confessing to Sasuke. Maybe not everything. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of what Sasuke would say and do if Naruto declared his "undying" love for him. But maybe just admitting that he liked guys… No. That would still be too much.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You went really quiet for a minute." Sasuke was watching him carefully. "You do know someone, don't you?"

Naruto nodded, although he still was worried that he was admitting too much. "You do too."

Sasuke nodded too, still smirking. "Who?"

Naruto resolutely closed his mouth. He was determined to keep it shut at any cost.

Sasuke was more than a little interested. He wanted desperately to know who Naruto knew was gay. It was more than curiosity. There was personal interest. Admittedly, he would have been more than thrilled if Naruto had suddenly confessed that he was gay. But he didn't push it. Instead, he found himself suddenly frowning at the lack of confession from the blonde. He started examining his hands, purposefully steering his brain on to a different subject. "What do you think about this mission?"

Naruto was once again trying to keep up with the sudden change of subject. "Well, I… I don't know. I suppose it could be planned better." He noted Sasuke's frown. "I'm guessing you're not too thrilled about it."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm pissed at Tsunade." He wasn't lying. He was just leaving out some of the information.

Naruto was silent for a minute. "I'm not."

Sasuke returned his gaze to Naruto and he found himself thinking back to when Tsunade had told them about the potential for the mission. He had been annoyed at her for barging in. He still was. He was starting to think that he had a problem with holding too many grudges. "Why not? She said she wasn't going to send us on a wild goose chase, but she's doing it anyways."

"Well, what would you do if you were her? I'm guessing that half the people in the village went to see her today and complained about me. They're probably on the verge of starting a riot. And I can guaranty they wouldn't be opposed to burning down your house to try and get to me."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "But- but that doesn't mean-" Sasuke shook his head. "Sakura's right. Its not fair to you."

Naruto sighed. "Oh well. I can live with it. Actually, I'm glad to be getting out of the village. I just want to get away from everything for a while." He looked down at his bandaged wrists. "And haven't we been talking about wanting a mission for a while now?"

"Yeah, but not like this- I mean… " Sasuke growled suddenly. "We're going on this mission to get help for you! Even if that old hag is sending us because of the villagers, we're still trying to find Jiriaya so that he can strengthen the seal, or whatever he's going to do!! When we were talking about missions, it wasn't supposed to be so personal!" He abruptly got up and started pacing in front of the couch, Naruto's eyes following every motion. "This is going to be dangerous. Especially if you're having trouble! And I don't think that stupid old woman even considered it!! She saw a quick fix, and now we're plunging into this mission! What about the ninja that are still out there? Those three that attacked us were just a few of a bigger group that's going around killing any ninja just because they're a threat! What will happen if we run into them? Do you know what kind of trouble that will cause? Not only are they after you, but our teacher is the famous Copy Nin!" He stopped moving and looked down at Naruto.

Naruto was more than a little unnerved. Sasuke didn't just start spilling his guts. Especially not if he was worried. He was always the calm, composed one that played it cool, no matter what the situation. "Are- Are you saying that you're worried? About me?"

Sasuke nodded. His stupid emotions were getting the best of him. And now he was going to say some stupid mushy crap. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Well, don't worry! I wont!" Naruto said confidently, wishing he believed it even a little bit. "I don't want you to worry." He smiled warmly at Sasuke, and for once, it was a real smile that successfully masked his lack of confidence really well.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged. "It's late. Lets go to bed."

And they did just that. Once again, Sasuke crawled into bed with Naruto. No questions were asked. There was a mutual, unspoken agreement that neither of them wanted to be alone when they didn't have to be.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter Sixty One 

Naruto was tired. Even the halfway decent sleep he had gotten the night before the mission hadn't restored his energy or his chakra, and it was starting to show. They had only been traveling for a little more than a day, and he was struggling to keep up with the pace Kakashi set. It wasn't very fast for a ninja, but jumping from tree branch to tree branch required a steady amount of chakra that Naruto just didn't have.

Kakashi called them to a stop when Naruto stumbled for the third time. He had nearly missed the branch- again. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired." Naruto tried to shrug it off. "I'm having a little trouble with my chakra. Its nothing big." So, he was undermining it a lot. No one had to know, right?

Kakashi scrutinized him for a moment. "Okay. We'll slow down for a while." He leapt soundlessly to the ground and waited for his students to follow. Sasuke and Sakura leapt down and landed gracefully, but Naruto landed a little too hard and his knees buckled.

"Are you sure you're alright, Naruto?" Sakura asked quietly as the blonde quickly jumped back to his feet, blushing. He nodded vigorously.

"Alright, well, lets not just stand here all day." Kakashi whipped out his Icha Icha paradise book and started walking at a much more leisurely pace. Naruto scowled at his back. He didn't need to be babied that much.

Sasuke hung back for a second so he was walking with Naruto. "Are you having more trouble than just not healing?" He asked quietly, keeping his voice low enough so Sakura couldn't hear as she cast curious looks back at the two boys. Naruto nodded slightly, hearing Sasuke curse. "Damnit! You should tell Kakashi! You really shouldn't be on a mission like this. To hell with the villagers!" He said the last words with such venom that Naruto actually missed a step.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. It's nothing serious. The Fox is just fucking with me." Noting that Sasuke still didn't look anywhere near satisfied with that explanation, he continued. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to risk getting me killed because he would die with me. Trust me. I've had the damn thing in me for a long time."

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked suddenly. She had been studying the different expression's that crossed the boys face and was more than a little put out that she wasn't involved in the conversation on whatever serious topic they were discussing. Kakashi heard her question and turned a questioning look towards the boys.

"Yes. If there is something wrong, do share." He kept walking backwards, carefully stepping over every branch on the ground and missing every hole.

"Nothing's wrong." Naruto insisted. "I was just- er- asking Sasuke for advice… about some personal matters." Naruto put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously, blushing slightly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you say so." He turned back around, leaving Sakura to glare at the two who had fallen silent.

"Liar." Sasuke muttered under his breath when Sakura finally turned away to watch where she was going.

"He doesn't need to know." Naruto hissed back.

"Whatever." Sasuke huffed, burrowing his hands into his pockets and mulling over what he knew for sure. This included what he was guessing Naruto wasn't telling him.

Naruto was frowning at the ground as they walked. It was more than plausible that the fox could be keeping his chakra out of Naruto's reach, but that didn't explain the absence of Naruto's own chakra. Sure, he had always exhausted his chakra before using the fox's, but he hadn't been using a lot of chakra lately. Hardly any. So how the hell had he used all of it up? And why wasn't it restoring itself? He had a feeling that the fox knew, but he wasn't about to delve into his mind to find the demon. Not when he had been silent for what felt like a record amount of time.

Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and he sensed the faintest hint of someone's chakra signature. He paused, casting his sense around for the source, before locating it in a nearby tree.

Sasuke stopped, and followed the blondes gaze, his eyes coming to rest on a ninja crouching in a tree almost right above their heads. He was wearing a plain wooden mask.

Sakura had also stopped, and was staring at the two boys as they stared at something she couldn't see. Kakashi however had already sensed the chakra and was quickly scanning the area for other ninja. He couldn't sense anyone. So either the ninja was alone, or his teammate's chakra hiding abilities were stronger than Kakashi's ability to find it. He was silently hoping it was the first possibility.

Sasuke suddenly hurled a kunai at the unmoving ninja, and he didn't leap out of the way in time. The kunai sank into his chest, and with a faint pop he disappeared and a log fell from the tree in its place.

"A scout." Kakashi mused quietly. "I don't think we've seen the last of him. We should probably pick up the pace again."

Naruto almost groaned, but snapped his mouth shut at the last second. A moment later he followed his teammates as they leapt into the trees again, launching from branch to branch at an even faster pace than before. As he strained the little chakra that he had, trying as hard as he could to drag up his missing chakra stores, he felt sure he was going to pass out. With every new leap from branch to branch he could feel his chakra dwindling. Every jump increased the dizziness he was feeling.

He was done. He knew that after the next leap he was going to fall to the ground. But he couldn't bring himself to stop. No. He had to keep going. He had to keep going or fall down trying. He just had to.

The next branch came, and he launched himself, almost giving into the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him. But it didn't. Before he could completely black out, he felt a hand firmly grab his arm and felt the warmth of chakra pouring into his body. Not a lot, just a low steady flow that allowed him to keep moving with ease.

Sasuke shifted his grip so he was grasping Naruto's hand, using his own chakra to fuel the blonde. He carefully lead the way, pulling Naruto just behind him as they followed behind Sakura, who was tailing Kakashi carefully.

Naruto relaxed a little, and smiled. So he wasn't going to crash to the ground after all.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty Two**

It had only taken another day to reach the place Kakashi had been taking them. It was a small village, secluded and very private, and was known to be one of Jiriaya's favorite places when he had been in the middle of writing one of his "masterpiece" books.

Naruto had managed to keep going with Sasuke's help. It felt strange, having his hand held constantly by the Uchiha. Strange, but enjoyable. The constant flow of his friends chakra was soothing.

The little village they were spending the night at was indeed very strange. It had only taken a short while to find out the information they needed to know. No, Jiriaya wasn't there, and he hadn't been in about a year. Naruto was crushed by this information. So it was confirmed that Jiriaya had still been alive for three years since he had last seen him. The toad sage had been avoiding him. Or so it seemed to him.

It was painful, being in the village that his old teacher had been so fond of. It reminded him of the pervert. Every perverted grin on every old man's face, every shrieking girl- he had heard of leper colonies, but this was the first time he had even considered the existence of lecher colonies. He pointed this out to Sasuke the second time Sakura went ballistic on an old guy for slipping in a quick grope as he passed. Sasuke had laughed at the simple joke. At least Naruto's sense of humor had been true.

Kakashi found himself greatly at ease. This was his kind of mission. Just moving around a lot and getting to rest in a place he almost considered paradise. It was simple bliss. And his students certainly weren't complaining about sleeping in beds.

"So, what do we do now, sensei?" Naruto asked Kakashi as the team sat around a table at the little inn that night. The blonde was worn out to the point of physical and mental exhaustion, and the news of Jiriaya had emotionally drained him as he struggled not to let himself break down into tears. He kept telling himself that it was a good thing that Jiriaya wasn't dead. But he still felt utterly abandoned.

Kakashi was silent for a while as he contemplated an answer. "We keep looking of course."

"No, I thought we were going to have a ballet and hope that the pervy sage shows up to audition." Naruto snapped. Kakashi chuckled at the sarcasm.

"Well, I know of a few other places he liked to stay. We might get some news from them. And maybe we'll be able to find a trail soon!"

Later that night, when him and Sasuke were getting ready for bed, Naruto found himself wondering how their sensei could be so optimistic. To him, it was apparent that Jiriaya didn't want to have anything to do with him. He wasn't about to be found. Not that easily.

Sasuke was feeling waves of pity for the blonde. It was one thing to not know why someone was suddenly gone from your life. It was a completely different, horrible feeling to know that they weren't just gone, but had abandoned you. It was possibly even worse than not knowing.

The silence between them filled the room that they shared. Sakura had a room of her own, and they were sure Kakashi did too, although they couldn't rule out the chance that he wasn't going to "waste" his time sleeping when there were other, more interesting things to do.

"Umph." Naruto plopped down on the bed. He had barely managed to shrug off his clothes, which he left lying in a pile next to the bed. All except his boxers. He kept those on out of courtesy for his friend/roommate. "I'm so tired." He crawled up further onto the bed and slipped under the covers.

Sasuke didn't reply, but removed his own clothes, neatly lying them out on the foot of the bed that Naruto wasn't on. He remained silent even as he crawled into bed next to Naruto, placing a tentative hand on his forehead, checking. He was worried about Naruto's lack of chakra. Even now, when he was resting, Sasuke could feel the emptiness, feel his body craving the imperative energy, and he was tempted to pour more of his own chakra into Naruto in an attempt to fill that gaping hole.

"There's something really wrong, Naruto." Sasuke murmured, removing his hand from the blonde's forehead before he gave in and gave him more of his own chakra. He wasn't anywhere near running low, but that didn't mean he was about to waste it when Naruto didn't need to use it. "Something's not right."

"I know." Naruto admitted, curling into Sasuke's side. "I don't know what to do about it. I'm so tired it hurts."

Sasuke frowned, letting his arm slip around his teammate's shoulders. "Hn. Then get some sleep."

Naruto didn't have to be told twice. He gave into the exhaustion, slipping off into unconsciousness that wasn't anywhere near restful.

A while later Kakashi peeked into the room and met Sasuke's dark, brooding eyes. He noticed the protective arm around Naruto and smirked slightly under his mask. He had been waiting for the bond between them to strengthen. He had been waiting for four years. He left the boys, heading back into the village. He still had a few more people to question about Jiriaya before he could get a clear idea of where the Sannin could possibly be.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty Three 

Sasuke didn't sleep much that night. He was too on edge about something. He didn't know what was bothering him, but something definitely was.

Naruto didn't stir at all that night. He remained in the same place, in the same position at Sasuke's side all night. Sasuke was wondering if he was really sleeping or if he was just in a state of unconsciousness.

Sakura came barging into their room in the morning, loudly flinging open the curtains and letting far too much light into the room.

"Wake up!! We're leaving-" She froze, meeting Sasuke's angry stare. Here eyes traveled to where Naruto was still curled against him, asleep and unfazed by Sakura's noisy intrusion. Her eyes quickly darted to the empty bed and then back to the two boys. "Why are you…?" A somewhat suspicious look came over her face. "Are you two-"

"No." Sasuke interrupted. "Where's Kakashi?"

Sakura finally broke her stare away from the boys and instead gazed at the floor. "He's waiting for us in the commence area. He wants us to be ready to leave as soon as possible." She was finding the situation incredibly awkward. "So, um… you should wake Naruto up and get dressed. I think sensei knows where we're going next. She quickly exited the room.

Sasuke felt a stab of annoyance and shook Naruto's shoulder roughly. "Wake up!"

It took a great amount of shaking and a few minutes, but the blonde was finally roused. He groaned in frustration, trying to burrow back into the bed and into Sasuke, only to be met with another round of intense shaking and a shove as Sasuke got up and quickly threw his clothes on.

Naruto sat up shakily and looked around, his eyes slightly glazed. The first thing Sasuke noticed was how pale he was, and how much darker the circles under his eyes had gotten. So he was right in thinking that his teammate wasn't sleeping.

"We're leaving as soon as we're ready." Sasuke told Naruto, feeling the annoyance he had been feeling just a few minutes before disappear as Naruto ran a hand threw his hair and crawled out from under the covers. He stumbled to his feet and mechanically dragged on his clothes, falling back on the bed a few times when he lost his balance.

Sasuke could tell that the blonde was completely out of it. He didn't even seem to notice his surroundings at all, and Sasuke had more than half a mind to go to Kakashi and demand that the stay for a few more days so that Naruto could rest. He hated seeing his friend exhausted like that.

"Eh, Sasuke?" Naruto asked timidly, finally looking at the Uchiha and noting the severe scowl that was on his face. "Didn't you say we were leaving?" He had picked up his pack and it was now in place on his shoulders.

Sasuke gave him a stern look. "I think we should stay for a few days so you can rest. I'm sure Kakashi sensei would agree if he knew everything." 

Once again Naruto just shook his head desperately. "We can't stay! We need to find the pervy sage. I think the fox is screwing up my chakra, and Jiriaya's the only one that would be able to fix that."

Sasuke had to admit to himself that Naruto was probably right, but he was still intent on getting the blonde to agree to rest for at least a day. He knew that Naruto was still putting on his brave face, and as bad as he looked now, he was still hiding the worst of it.

"You still need to rest." Sasuke crossed what little distance was between them and put his hand to Naruto's cheek. He could feel Naruto's body protesting the lack of chakra, could feel the empty swirl that was begging to be filled with the energy. It was even worse than the night before, and he couldn't see how Naruto was still standing.

A little color came into Naruto's cheeks as Sasuke stood there, studying him intently with his hand on his cheek. He could feel the Uchiha's own chakra through the slight contact and was incredibly comforted. "Resting wont help. If I stop now, I don't think I'll be able to start again. I can make it, with your help." He leaned slightly into Sasuke's touch, letting his eyes slip closed . For a second, he almost thought he was going to fall asleep but a cough interrupted.

Both boys jumped and Sasuke quickly dropped his hand as the turned to look at their sensei. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we need to go. And with delay's like that its no wonder Sakura has some rather strange suspicions about you two."

The slightest tinge of red dusted Sasuke's cheeks at this, and Naruto, who had already been pretty red just turned redder.

"We're not-" Sasuke began but Kakashi cut him off.

"I am well aware of a lot more than you give me credit for." His eyes narrowed as he surveyed Naruto. "But it isn't my business if you don't think I should know. And as for Sakura, I calmly explained to her that you two had to share a bed because the other one was mine. We don't need any rivalries in this mission after all."

Sasuke was glancing sidelong at Naruto. The blush had faded off his face, and he was left looking deathly pale again. "Kakashi Sensei, I think we should stay here for a few days so that Naruto- so that we can rest."

Naruto shot him a dirty look. Kakashi sighed. Yes, he could guess that something was wrong with Naruto, and the boy looked like he was on his deathbed. "I'll say yes, if Naruto wants me to."

"I don't want to." Naruto said almost instantly, and received a full glare from Sasuke. "Let's go."

Kakashi nodded, a deep feeling of worry setting itself into his gut. Somehow, he knew he would regret this. But he didn't dwell on the subject much further.

They met Sakura in front of the inn, and quickly left the village. Like usual, Kakashi was leading the way, followed by Sakura, with Sasuke leading and guiding Naruto, firmly grasping his hand. They were moving at a decent pace away from the village, almost losing themselves in the deepening forest.

It was relatively easy going at first, keeping the pace being their biggest concern for a while. The ease didn't last long though. Trouble was stirring. And they knew they were being followed long before it became a problem.


	64. Chapter 64

**Okay, so this chapter is really short, but that's nothing new… but don't worry, the next one will probably record-breakingly long, at least by my standards… but I'm really tired because I haven't slept properly in about two weeks, and this was the best place to end this chapter for right now…  
Chapter Sixty Four**

Naruto felt something different. It wasn't like the last few days. He could feel his own chakra stirring. Or it might have been the fox's. He couldn't tell. But occasionally it would flare up. Naruto thought that it was maybe in anticipation. After all, the fox couldn't let him die. He doubted even the demon was that stubborn.

Sasuke could feel the chakra occasionally flare through Naruto. He wanted to feel relieved, but something about it wasn't right. Where was the chakra coming from? It hadn't been present before, and it didn't just come out of nowhere. Unless the fox was up to no good. And from the worried look that flashed across Naruto's face from time to time he was guessing that was the case.

Sakura was starting to get tired. She didn't have anywhere near the endurance of the rest of her teammates. But she knew they couldn't stop. Even she could sense the chakra of quite a few ninja trailing them. And the number was growing occasionally. She had wondered briefly when they would stop for the night, but had realized with a bitter laugh that they wouldn't. Not until they had lost the enemy. And needless to say, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Naruto was having a hard time focusing on leaping through the trees. The chakra he kept feeling flare inside of him had been getting stronger, only to stop altogether. He was getting impatient, and with a confrontation right around the corner, he was more than a little desperate to find out exactly what the damn fox was doing. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself.

_OIY!!! Stupid Fox!!!_

There was no answer.

_I know you're in there!!! What the fuck did you do with my chakra!!?!!_

He felt the fox laugh dangerously. _I learned a new trick!! And I'm about to show off another one._ Naruto could feel the glee dripping from the voice.

_What the fuck does that mean!?!_

Sasuke was watching Naruto carefully out of the corner of his eye. His face was set to a deep scowl, and a somewhat annoyed expression kept flitting across his face. He looked to be having an inner conversation with himself.

Or with the fox…

Hehe. Your own, PATHETIC chakra stores made a nice little-hmmm, how should I put it? Snack? Yes. That works. It made a nice little snack to be devoured by my own chakra. I quite enjoyed it. And I'm going to enjoy your friends chakra even more!!!

Naruto stumbled and froze in fear as he felt the fox's chakra flare up in him and shoot through his body somewhat painfully. He let out a yell and jerked his hand out of Sasuke's grasp just as the flow reached his fingertips.

Kakashi and Sakura stopped short and whipped around at hearing Naruto's yell. Sasuke panicked. He had felt the surge of chakra, had felt the raw power behind it just before Naruto had broken their contact.

Naruto managed to land precariously on a branch for a second as he tried to quench the burning chakra that had flown through his body. His balance was practically non-existant, however, and he tumbled off the branch before he could react or do anything.

A yell escaped Sasuke's throat as he dove after the blonde, grabbing his ankle and using his chakra to latch onto the side of the tree. The moment he touched Naruto, however, he felt the surge of chakra run through both of them again and he had to let go of both Naruto and the tree as he felt his chakra being drained away.

Both boys landed in a heap on the ground, a few feet away from each other. Sasuke scrambled to his feet, leaning over Naruto to check if he was okay. Bright blue eyes stared back at him, before averting to something to his right.

"Oh fuck." Were the only words that left Naruto's mouth, and Sasuke's head snapped up.

Oh fuck was right.

They were surrounded by over a dozen ninja, most of which were wearing plain wooden masks, identical to the masks of the ninja that had attacked them on the night of the party. And even as Sasuke quickly scanned the area, looking for a means of escape, more ninja showed up.

"Oh fuck."


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty Five**

To say that Sakura was nervous would be an understatement. She knew both Sasuke and Naruto, and knew it was unlikely that either one of them would just lose their balance, and the probability of both of them falling from the trees was almost nonexistent.

So then why had both of them suddenly gone hurdling towards the ground?

And Sakura certainly wasn't oblivious to the presence of more than one individual that she was sure was neither Naruto or Sasuke.

The serious look in Kakashi's one visible eye only confirmed her fear that her teammates were indeed in trouble.

"What are we going to do sensei?" She asked timidly and quietly. He was staring intensely through the foliage towards a spot on the ground far below. When Sakura followed his gaze, she could barely make out what looked to be a group of people.

"We help them Sakura." Kakashi said calmly. "But we must wait for the opportune time to attack. Our enemy is many, and they are well trained."

Sakura shifted nervously on the branch she was perched on. Damnit! Why wasn't anything happening? She knew for a fact that her two very, stubborn teammates wouldn't normally be so quiet in the face of a battle. Something had to be wrong.

But little did she know exactly how wrong everything was.

Sasuke was still looking around, cautiously examining the situation, and Naruto had yet to move at all. This was really a bad time for Naruto to be having trouble with that damn demon.

Naruto sat up, causing several of the surrounding ninja to jump at the movement, and Naruto smirked. "I'm just that intimidating, eh?"

Sasuke could have killed him. Of all the times for the cocky comments…

One of the mask-wearing ninja responded by striding forward and kicking the blonde harshly in the stomach, causing him to once again splay out on his back in the dirt.

The sound Sasuke made at that moment as he uncharacteristically threw himself blindly at the man could probably be accurately described as a roar. Whatever the sound was, however, didn't matter as the man went flying backwards, crashing into one of his fellow ninja who didn't move out of the way fast enough.

A second later, the battle was on. Naruto managed to scramble to his feet just before the onslaught began and forced his weary body to take place in the "fun."

Kakashi had to physically restrain Sakura from charging blindly into the fight when she both heard and saw the very one-sided battle break out.

And one sided it was. Naruto was nowhere near being able to properly defend himself against any one of the ninja him and Sasuke were currently up against, let alone the seven he was trying to deal with at the moment. The bastards were just toying with him at this point, knocking him around with very little effort while he was just trying to stay conscious and ignore the continual taunting of the fox in his head. He couldn't even hear what was going on around him. Just the voice of the fox. And he was even having trouble making sense of that.

Sasuke wasn't doing much better. Even as he was putting up a hell-of-a-lot more fight than Naruto was, he was up against no less than twelve ninja. And his chakra was slowly but steadily starting to run low both from the days he had spent loaning it to Naruto, and from the use of the Sharingan.

He was also vaguely aware that Kakashi and Sakura had yet to join in the battle. Where the hell were they?

Oh well. He didn't have the time or energy to wonder at the moment. He performed the hand signs and used his fire ball jutsu. The ninja surrounding him scattered away from the flames, and the slowest moving one screamed as he got slammed with several flames.

If Naruto had been a little more aware of his surroundings, he might have been a little insulted that the ninja had ceased to attack him and had instead formed a circle around him and were taking turns taking him on one-on-one. Okay, he wouldn't be a little insulted, he'd be absolutely furious, but at the moment, the only thing he noticed was the persistent and overwhelming voice of the fox.

_You need me!!! You know you do!!! You won't survive this without me!!! You know I'm going to take over whether you like it or not, so you might as well spare yourself the pain and just let me do what I'm good at!!!!! So much power… why wont you let me wipe the smirks off their faces!?!?!?!_

_No._ Came Naruto's weak protest. _You… Can't…_ He really wasn't sure what was happening. He had never felt so… small? Yes, that was what he felt. Small and so out of control of the situation. He could barely feel the physical blows that were being dealt to his body over and over. He couldn't even remember what was happening. All he could hear was the voice of the fox.

_You still protesting? Maybe I'll let you go back to feeling the pain for a little while, and soon you'll be BEGGING me to take over so YOU can go to sleep in the back of MY consciousness._

The numbness on his body seemed to dissipate, and he yelled when he felt a heavy blow to his already bruised chest. His vision came into focus, and he was able to dodge the kick that was aimed for his face, only to lose his balance and fall backwards into the circle of surrounding people.

"STOP DICKING AROUND!!!!!!!!!"

Sasuke jerked his head in the direction of the scream. One of the masked ninja was perched on a branch a ways above their heads, and upon hearing his scream, every one of the enemy ninja had froze. Sasuke assumed he was their leader, and probably a feared one at that.

"This isn't a GAME!!!" Sasuke noticed the man's anger was directed at a circular group of ninja and he saw Naruto panting heavily as he was held firmly in the grasp of two of those ninja. "You're supposed to be KILLING HIM!!!! So stick a kunai in his heart and be DONE WITH IT!!!!!!"

Sasuke felt a surge of anger as the man tossed a kunai to one of the ninja's closest to the blonde. In a flash, and what he knew would be his last attack as his chakra was reaching a dangerously low point now, he used the Chidori.

The sound of a thousand birds chirping cut through the air like he easily charged through the half dozen ninja that stood between him and his teammate. He reached the man with the Kunai only a fraction of a second too late.

Naruto yelled with pain when the kunai entered into his chest. It wasn't very deep. The ninja responsible had been impaled from the side with Sasuke's Chidori. But another hand simply replaced it and was digging it deeper. In desperation, Naruto clutched the wrist in front of him, fighting the new surge of fear that came over him as well as the inevitable surge of anger.

_OOOHHH!!!!! Is it my turn already!!?!_ Naruto gritted his teeth as the fox's voice once again took over his senses, this time not blocking out the pain. But it wasn't just the voice that was taking over this time. He could feel the chakra, feel it suddenly lash out and devour the chakra of the person he was making direct contact with. He could feel it slowly spreading through his trembling limbs, coaxing him to relax into its warm hold.

Coaxing very well. His vision was once again getting blurry, and his grip on the man's wrist in front of him was tightening of its own accord. He could see his nails growing in length and digging into the skin on the man's wrist.

"S-sasuke!" Naruto managed to choke out, fighting to keep control of his vocal chords as everything seemed to gain a red tint around him. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke had furiously driven that fuck of a ninja into a tree and had impaled another ninja before he let the Chidori die out. Naruto's voice drew his attention, but was almost drowned out when a burst of flame suddenly pounded several ninja into the ground. Several kunai came whizzing through the air and embedded themselves deeply into either trees or stunned ninja.

In the momentary distraction caused by the sudden appearance of Kakashi and Sakura, Sasuke managed to slip unnoticed to Naruto's side.

"Don't- touch me." Naruto gasped when Sasuke reached out to him. Sasuke froze in shock. He had thought that Naruto had passed out. But now that he got a closer look, he could see the blonde trembling and his muscles straining against a force he couldn't see. "Sasuke, you need to run." He barely managed to choke out the words, along with a bit of blood.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Sasuke spat, glancing down at Naruto's chest, where the kunai was still buried. The man's hand was still clutching the blade, and Naruto was still clutching the man's wrist. "I can't leave you like this!!"

"You have to!" Naruto yelled, his voice was getting shriller. "Get Kakashi and Sakura, and run." His grip tightened on the wrist, and the man yelled and tried to pull away, wincing as the skin gave way to still elongating nails.

Sasuke winced when he heard the bone snap, glancing hopelessly at Naruto. He knew what was happening. It was what he had been afraid of since they had left on this stupid mission. And he was torn on what to do. Leave his friend? No!! He couldn't! He cared more for Naruto than anyone, even if he was just barely admitting it to himself.

"Go- Sasuke!" A shudder wracked Naruto's body. "Please…"

Sasuke nodded, although he knew Naruto couldn't see it with his eyes squeezed shut, but he was sure that he could feel the sudden loss of Sasuke's presence. He darted to where Sakura was busy weaving out an illusion that had trapped two ninja already. She was always good with illusions.

"We have to go!" Sasuke said, abruptly grabbing her arm and breaking her concentration. "Kakashi!" He called out and a second later their sensei was at their side. Without a word, the silver haired Jounin leapt up into the trees, quickly followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

"Where's Naruto!?" Sakura demanded as they sped through the trees away from the fight at a pace that was alarming, even for a ninja. The branches came as a blur, and some even broke under their speed.

Sasuke didn't answer, but concentrated on where he was going. But with every leap he felt the dread creeping into his stomach. He had left Naruto back there- alone.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter Sixty Six 

"Should we follow them!?"

"No. We'll get them later. Let's deal with this one."

They were of course talking about Naruto, who hadn't moved at all in about two minutes. He was still clutching the man's now mangled arm in a crushing grip, and the man was writhing in his grasp.

"Let him go." The blond was kicked hard in the side, but he didn't respond. He didn't move at all.

"I think he passed out." Another ninja said, coming forward and trying to pry Naruto's hands off the now sobbing ninja's wrist.

In an instant, a clawed hand got a death grip around his arm, and all that was heard was a loud snap as his arm was twisted into an impossible angle before he found his face being shoved into the ground with the blond shinobi on top of him, wrenching his arm so hard it felt like it was going to be ripped out of its socket, while all his chakra seemed to be sucked out of his very skin.

There was a flurry of movement, and a foot made contact with Naruto's chest, driving the Kunai there still deeper and sending him flying backwards. But Naruto barely felt the pain and landed on his feet. He barely felt anything. It was like watching a movie through the eyes of one of the characters. Everything was happening. He just had no control.

The two ninja that were now out of his grasp were quickly scrambling away from him.

"What is wrong with you!?" One of the ninja demanded, seeing his whimpering and cowering comrades. "He's half dead."

"Am I really!?" The voice that ripped from Naruto's throat was dripping with venom and with power. He was more than a little pleased as he flexed his arms and legs a little. This body wasn't much, but it would do for a while. Until the seal was gone at least. He just had to be careful. He didn't want to lose the body.

The surrounding ninja knew something wasn't quite right. Everything about the lone shinobi they were facing seemed off. From the claws, to the elongated snout, to the fangs, and to the glaring red eyes that were finally open and fixing them in a hungry stare. He wasn't even standing up strait, but was slouched over and looked ready to pounce on them.

They weren't looking at Naruto Uzumaki anymore. No. Naruto wasn't there. He was somewhere deep inside, watching everything that happened from a safe distance.

The fox laughed tauntingly when movement once again broke out among the surrounding ninja. Some of the ninja seemed overcome by fear and fled. Others were busy performing hand signs for various jutsus, and a few attempted to throw kunai or shurikan at him.

He just laughed again, and before even the fastest ninja there could use whatever jutsu he had been planning on using, the fox disappeared.

_You watching this, kid!?_ The fox demanded mentally, feeling the resounding wave of terror. _Enjoy the show!!!_

He was balanced on the topmost branch of a tree directly above where the ninja were still standing, dumbfounded. He glorified himself in how superior he was to those stupid humans, with their stupid techniques and stupid hand signs.

_And stupid seals?_ The fox growled at Naruto's voice in his head. So, one human got the best of him once. It was never going to happen again.

He started molding the chakra to his hands. Not one of those ninja down there stood a chance. They wouldn't even know what hit them.

A feral growl echoed through the trees as the fox leapt down, letting gravity do the work for him. The chakra in his hands trailed behind him, slicing through branch after branch as he sped towards the ground.

With a resplendent blow that shook the earth for many miles, he brought his deadly attack down on the still unsuspecting ninja. A cloud of dirt leapt into the air at the force, and trees and bodies went flying.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty Seven**

Even Kakashi lost his footing when the ground shuddered violently, shaking all three of them from the trees. They landed sloppily on the ground.

"What was that!?" Sakura asked fearfully, glancing back to wear a cloud of dust was rising over the trees. Sasuke swallowed back more dread as he followed her gaze. The dust was where they themselves had been only moments before.

"I've never seen an explosion that big!!" Sakura continued breathlessly. "Do you think Naruto's alright!?!"

"He's not." Sasuke answered bluntly. Both Sakura and Kakashi looked at him. He was facing away from them, frowning at the cloud of dirt.

"Are you ready to tell me what I need to know?" Kakashi asked quietly. Sakura glanced questioningly between her sensei and her teammate, but remained silent.

"I'll tell you later." Sasuke said quietly. "I'm going back."

This was of course met with opposition.

"We can't go back in there! We don't know what's happening!!" Sakura stated angrily.

"You're not going alone." Was Kakashi's firm command.

Sasuke just shook his head, still not looking at either of them. "You don't understand. I have to." He spared them a glance, and momentarily they were looking into the Sharingan.

But this was more than a glance. It was to make sure that Kakashi was actually standing there, and not a clone or replacement. Because for what he was going to do next, he needed the real thing.

It was a trick Orochimaru had used on him once, when he had tried to get away. It was a seal, that his Sharingan had easily copied, even if he hadn't been quick enough to counter it at the time. The seal was very effective. He hadn't been able to move until Orochimaru took the seal off him two days later.

And it was still effective now in sealing his teammates. Their shouts of indignation rang in his ears as he looked down at them. This seal was similar to paralyzation. They couldn't move any parts of their body from the neck down, and neither could they use their chakra.

"I'm sorry." He told them simply. "But you're not going to stop me."

He felt guilty, leaving them there like that, but he knew that otherwise they would get in the way. Unlike them, he knew what it was like when Naruto lost control to the fox, and unlike them, he knew how to break through. Or he knew how he had broken through before. He didn't know if it would work this time, but he still had to try. He was terrified of losing the only person he had truly allowed himself to become close to since his whole family had been killed.

It was amazing, how far they had managed to run in so little time. Sasuke was running at a significantly slower pace, and it was taking him a lot longer to get back to Naruto than it had taken to get away. Cursing, he sped up, begging his tired body to work with him for just a little while longer.

When he caught sight of the first ripped up tree, he slowed down so he could move in stealthily. He almost wanted to hurl when he saw the blood that was strewn everywhere, with various bodies flung about. Some were impaled on trees, and some weren't quite whole. And there was a lot of dust in the air.

As he drew nearer and nearer, the ground was barer, and even slightly burnt. Whatever had happened was big, and powerful. There were no more trees over quite a long stretch of the ground. How many feet in total, he wasn't sure, but he crossed at least thirty feet of bare ground before he caught sight of the crouching blonde.

Sasuke didn't need the Sharingan to see the chakra radiating off Naruto's form. He also didn't need to hear the little voice in his head warning him not to get closer.

Something was off about Naruto's form. Apart from the claws, fangs and the snout, his bodily structure seemed to have changed. The bones in his legs had shifted, and his arms had grown in length. He looked distinctly felinish, if not completely foxish.

Before Sasuke could move any closer, Naruto's head snapped to the side, and he was looking into the terrifying red eyes of the fox.

"I knew you'd come." There was definite amusement in that voice. The fox disappeared from sight, and Sasuke heard that same chilling voice in his ear. "I've been waiting."

Naruto started struggling uselessly against the fox again, now that he saw Sasuke standing in front of him.

_Don't you dare touch him you stupid fox!!!!! DON'T YOU DARE!!!!!!!!_

The fox was beside himself with glee. "But I do dare."

Sasuke didn't know what the thing meant by its last statement, but he turned around and tried to plant a firm kick in its chest, only to find it had disappeared again. "Don't fuck around with me, Fox!!!" He spat, looking around for any sign of it.

With the Sharingan he saw it, right before it brought a heavy blow down on his head, and he managed to leap out of the way. The fox was undeterred however, and hit him hard in the stomach, sending him flying thirty feet to the tree line. Struggling, he got to his feet, leaping out of the way and running up the trunk of a tree as the fox leapt after him, aiming a deadly chakra filled blow at him. He leapt to another tree as the fox easily smashed through the other.

"Running away?" Came the taunting voice, and he barely managed to jump out the way once more as another blow came crashing down as the Fox suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Damnit." Sasuke cursed. How was he supposed to coax Naruto out when he couldn't even find the time to call out to him in between the fox's attacks?

Meanwhile, the fox was dealing with the ever-growing annoyance of the concerned blonde that was doing everything in his power to regain control of his body.

_It's my body!!!! I won't let you hurt him with MY BODY!!!!!_ If the voice wasn't annoying enough, its seemed the idiot had found a way to gain some control of his body, even if it wasn't enough to completely take over. He didn't have enough will power for that. But Naruto was slowing him down to near human speed, and it was pissing him off.

Sasuke had noticed the drop in the fox's speed, and was now able to counter some of the blows it was aiming at him. He managed to avoid another punch that was aimed for his head, and kicked it hard in the stomach with his knee, and ducked when an elbow twisted around the blondes back, aimed for his face.

Sasuke jumped back and looked at the blonde. The eyes were glazed with pure loathing as it popped its arm back into place. Sasuke winced when he thought about how much pain Naruto would be in when he was finally back.

Once again, Sasuke had to dodge an attack as the fox threw itself strait at him, and this time he was able to maneuver around the attack and whisper into the ear.

"Get a grip Naruto."

The fox growled, swinging around, and this time its aim was true. Its chakra filled punch would have crushed Sasuke's skull, but Naruto used every fiber of his being to force the fist off its course. It missed Sasuke's head by inches and pummeled into a tree. _I WONT LET YOU HURT HIM WITH **MY**BODY!!!!!_

Sasuke paused by the now trapped arm, a smirk playing across his face. "Thanks Naruto."

The resulting roar was deafening, and the fox nearly disintegrated the tree as it ripped its arm free.

Sasuke was forced to dodge a now constant assault from the fox. His mind was working furiously. It was obvious that Naruto was trying to fight back, even if there was no visible signs. He could just tell, mostly by how annoyed the fox was getting.

Also, he could see the fox's chakra fluctuating, which meant the fox was having trouble keeping a steady flow. He was guessing that was due to Naruto's struggling.

He leapt to a higher branch as the fox utterly pulverized the one he had been on seconds before. But how could he help Naruto gain control again?

"Naruto! You can do better than this!! Don't let this ugly fluff ball get the best of you!!" He was scared. What if he couldn't get Naruto back at all?

This caused the fox to laugh. "I already got the best of him. Don't waste your breath."

_NO! No you didn't!! You haven't yet!!!!_ Naruto was trying as hard as he knew how to take control of his body, but never had it been so hard to just move a finger, or wiggle a toe. It felt like he was stuck in fast drying cement. _CEMENT CAN BE BROKEN!!!!_ He screamed at the fox. _CEMENT IS BREAKABLE!!!!_

The fox snorted at Naruto's comment, and with a sudden burst of speed, he closed in upon the Uchiha, elongating his claws on both hands as he prepared to run them through the body in front of him.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt his back hit a tree trunk. The fox slowed, gloatingly as he realized he couldn't escape. He knew, whatever he did at that moment was his last move. It was his last chance to save both himself and Naruto. His last chance to bring Naruto back from the grips of the damn demon.

He saw those claws swinging towards him. But he didn't push away. He grabbed the torn remains of Naruto's shirt and did the first thing his body told him to do.

He kissed him. His entire body slammed into the blonde's body and their lips met with bruising force. He could taste the blood in his mouth.

The claws were digging painfully into his shoulder and his back, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he pour his chakra into the body, sparing none for himself in a desperate attempt to give his friend something that he could fight the fox with.

Sasuke wasn't sure if it was the chakra or the kiss, but it worked. He felt the body he was still pressed against shudder desperately, and he broke the kiss to look into Naruto's eyes. They were dazed and clouded, but they were the familiar blue again. Relief flooded him, and he drew the blonde closer to his body.

Only then did he realize they were falling.


	68. Chapter 68

**Sorry its taking me so long to update… been a bit busy… I'm hoping to have the next chapter finished and up later tonight or by tomorrow… **

**Chapter Sixty Eight**

"Sasuke did this to you!?!"

"Yes." Sakura was pissed. Not only was she trapped in a very awkward position and unable to move, but her and Kakashi just so happened to be found by none other than Gai. And with him was Lee, Tenten and Gaara.

Gai's eyes were shining with wonder. "The wonders of youth are so strong in your students, Kakashi! Why are you such a cool sensei!?!"

"Hm? Kakashi opened his eyes, apparently just waking up from a little nap. "Did you say something Gai?"

"Why don't you take me seriously!?"

"Will you two cut it out!" Sakura snapped. "I'm really uncomfortable right now. Do you think you could undo the jutsu!?" She looked uncomfortable. Her limbs had given out and were splayed at odd angles. Kakashi was in a similar predicament.

"I am deeply sorry, but I am not wise in the ways of seals." Gai said dramatically. "Alas, it is one of the youthful endeavors I never had a talent for!"

"So we're stuck!?!"

"Will you just shut up already? You're voice is so annoying." An uncharacteristic silence fell over the group at Gaara's words.

"Who asked you!?" Sakura demanded. "Why are you even here? Why are any of you here!?!" She suddenly looked around at the group. "Did something happen?"

"Hokage-sama sent us to fetch you, Kakashi, Sasuke and especially Naruto." Tenten explained, an utter look of disgust on her face. "Speaking of which, where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

Neither Kakashi nor Sakura choose to answer. Instead, identical looks of worry passed over their faces.

"Oh no! Do not tell me that my dear friend Naruto is in grave danger!" Came Lee's long overdue outburst. "I have not yet expressed my sympathy for him! And I have not had the pleasure of challenging him to a spar recently!"

There was some eye rolling at this.

"I guess we shall have to carry you." Gai said dramatically. "I shall partake upon the burden of carrying you, Kakashi, but do not worry! The power of youth still flows in my veins!" Kakashi didn't look thrilled at the aspect of being carried around by Gai.

"And I shall carry you, Sakura-chan!" Lee said excitedly. If Kakashi looked unhappy, Sakura looked downright terrified.

"No! I mean, you don't have to, Lee. I'll only slow you down." Sakura insisted hopefully. "And your amazing speed will be needed."

"Nonsense, Sakura-chan! Even with you on my back I am faster than any enemy! With my youthfulness and stamina I shall carry you through safely and leave anyone who stands in my way in the dust! I- What are you doing!?" Everyone's attention suddenly shifted from Lee to Gaara, who was quickly performing a series of mostly unknown hand signs.

A second later, both Kakashi and Sakura felt a tremendous weight lifted off them and they could move again.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked, stretching her arms in amazement.

"I lifted the seal, idiot." Gaara replied quietly. "It's not a very common one. I'm surprised the Uchiha knows it. It originated in Suna."

"Why is he here?" Kakashi had gotten to his feet and was now addressing Gai. "Where's Neji?"

"Neji was already tied up." Gai replied evasively. Admittedly, he didn't like having the Kazekage on his team, even if it was only for this one mission. But Tsunade had insisted it be like this, and had refused to divulge any more specific details for the mission. He had been told to bring team 7 back, and that was all. And though he had a few suspicions, he didn't voice them.

"We have to go help Naruto and Sasuke!" Sakura demanded in the awkward silence that had suddenly fallen on the group.

"I agree!" Lee voiced much more loudly than he needed to.

Once again, it was Gaara that silenced the group. "Shut up. Someone's approaching." At least it was a good reason to be silent this time.

Everyone was tense for several long minutes, and gradually they heard someone gasping and stumbling along.

"I think they're injured." Sakura's voice was quieter than a whisper, but everyone heard her. Tenten nodded in silent agreement. They certainly didn't sound like a threat. But that could also just be a façade.

A young man stumbled into view, clearly oblivious to everything around him as he struggled to keep moving. How he was managing to move at all was a mystery, as one of his arms was obviously broken in several places and was hanging uselessly at his side, and he was dragging his right leg, stifling his cry of pain with every step. There was blood running down his face.

Sakura almost ran to help him when he stumbled, and realized with a jolt that he couldn't be more than 15 years old, judging by his still very immature, wiry build. As he stumbled closer, falling to his knees a few times, they noticed a splintered branch sticking out of his back.

It was Gai that went to him first, catching him as he fell once more to the ground.

"No!" He tried to struggle, and cried out in obvious pain.

"What happened!?!" Kakashi was suddenly next to Gai and was staring down at the boy. He had seen him with the group of ninja they had fought. "Tell me what happened Damnit!"

The boy let out a scream of pain as Kakashi grabbed the front of his shirt rather roughly. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me!!! It was a demon!!!!"

Silence was beginning to become normal for the group as worried looks were exchanged.

With a heaving sob, the boy continued. "They're all dead… ripped to pieces… dead… dead… all dead…"

He started coughing violently, and suddenly pushed out of Gai's grasp. "NO!! Get away!!!"

Before anyone could react, he fell hard on his back, driving the branch even deeper into his lungs. He choked for another minute, then fell silent.

Kakashi didn't spare him another glance, but soundlessly motioned for everyone to follow as he took off back towards the site of the battle.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter Sixty Nine**

Sasuke was struggling to catch back the breath that had been knocked out of him. They hadn't actually fallen that far, but at that moment it might as well have been twelve stories as twelve feet.

Ignoring the pain that shot through his body and the exhaustion that threatened his consciousness, Sasuke pushed himself onto his hands and knees and crawled over to where Naruto was lying a few feet away. The blonde wasn't moving.

"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was barely above a whisper as he gently lifted Naruto's head into his lap. He could have cried with relief when those blue eyes blinked up at him.

His relief was short lived, however, when Naruto gasped and started coughing up blood. With a jolt of terror he realized that the kunai was still embedded deeply in Naruto's chest.

Weakly, Naruto managed to roll onto his side, choking slightly as the blood flooded his throat. Gagging violently, he managed to take a shaky breath. He could feel Sasuke's hand running gently through his hair.

"S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke leaned over his friend, wincing slightly and nearly collapsing on top of him. Just barely, he managed to steady himself. "Naruto?"

"I'm sorry." Naruto paused, coughing up still more blood. "I'm really sorry."

Sasuke could feel the tears prickling at his eyes and the fear choking him. "Shh. It's okay." Once again he pulled on his non-existent energy and scooped the blonde up into a sitting position. Naruto cried out weakly, and leaned back heavily into Sasuke's chest. He could feel a fiery pain still wracking his body and his muscles were in agony from being pushed far beyond the limit they could go. He could feel his staggering heart beat in his head, and the wrath of the demon ringing in his head. He hardly felt the kunai in his chest.

Until Sasuke started to inch it out. He stopped the moment the pained yell escaped into the air. The echoing silence that fell a second later was ominous. Even the trees weren't making any noise. There was no wind, no sound to be heard besides Naruto's labored breathing.

"We have to get it out." Sasuke breathed in Naruto's ear. He had never been good at healing, but he could have at least helped if he had even a little bit of chakra. But he didn't, and he was struggling with anger at himself that he couldn't help Naruto when he was in such pain.

Naruto collapsed completely, turning his head only slightly to look up at Sasuke for a fleeting second before he scrunched his eyes closed as Sasuke carefully inched the Kunai farther out of his chest.

"Just a little bit further." Sasuke murmured into the blondes ear, a new wave of panic rising as blood started pouring down Naruto's chest and stomach.

A hiss in his ear kept him from just leaving the blade embedded in Naruto's chest. "Just do it already!" With a firm yank, the kunai pulled free from it's temporary sheath and Sasuke quickly pressed both hands on the wound, feeling Naruto tense.

Without thinking, Sasuke found himself whispering continuously into Naruto's ear as his friend whimpered quietly from the pain. He didn't even realize the tears had sprung from his eyes and were now running freely down his cheeks. "You're going to be fine Naruto. You have to be. You can't leave me. I need you with me. I can't go back to living without you."

One of Naruto's hands came to rest over Sasuke's, and his other found its way to his cheek, gently stroking away some of the tears. "I'll stay for you."

Naruto relaxed a little, struggling to stay conscious and forcing himself to keep taking pained breaths. Sasuke held him a little tighter, hoping dearly that they would get help.

"You both look like shit."

Sasuke nearly had a heart attack and Naruto yelped as they both just about jumped out of their skin at that familiar voice. Gaara was standing a few feet away, surveying them coolly with an unreadable expression.

Now, the Kazekage wasn't the ideal form of help, but in Sasuke's book, Gaara would do just fine.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Seventy**

It was by pure luck that Gaara found the two. The group had split up to look for them when they couldn't sense them at all. It was thought that they were either injured, unconscious, or dead. And seeing large expanse of the forest that was ripped up and saturated with dead bodies and blood, everyone was almost sure that it was the dreaded last option. That their teammates were dead.

Sakura and Lee had broke down crying for a whole minute when the possibility first crossed their minds.

Finally, Kakashi had told them to get a grip and sent everyone looking for the two.

Now, Gaara was crouching in front of the two. He almost smiled at the obvious protective look that passed across the Uchiha's features when the boy was obviously fighting to stay conscious himself. Unflinchingly, he assessed the damage to both boys.

They were fucked up, that was for sure.

Still without saying a word, Gaara performed a few simple hand signs and suddenly disappeared.

"What the hell…?"

Not more than a minute later, the redhead had come back with Kakashi and Sakura.

"You're alive!" Sakura threw herself onto her knees with full intentions on pulling both of them into a huge hug but stopped herself. The necessary hand signs were performed so fast that no one realized what she was doing until she suddenly pried the hands off Naruto's chest and pressed a glowing hand to the wound.

"Aaahh!!!" Naruto arched his back as a surge of heat enclosed the wound, sending bolts of pain through his chest. After a few seconds it receded to a dull throb that was just another ache in his body. Sakura repeated the process on Sasuke's shoulder, which he hadn't even noticed was bleeding at all. By the time she finished, her chakra was running dangerously low and Gai, Lee and Tenten had shown up.

"We need to get them to the hospital." Sakura told Kakashi, who was kneeling over both boys and doing nothing but staring intently. "They're wounds are deep, and chakra caused. They'll need Tsunade to fix this."

"No." It was Gaara who spoke. "We can not take them that far. Not yet. They will need at least a few days to recover at least a little. Moving them far now could kill them."

If the situation had been any less serious, everyone would have sweat-dropped at Gaara's bluntness, but at the moment it was very much needed.

"True." Kakashi agreed. "But we will need to move them away from here. We'll set up camp by the river. It isn't too far."

"I volunteer to carry my fallen comrade!!" Lee suddenly darted forward, reaching down for Naruto.

Instinctually, Sasuke tightened his hold on Naruto and all but snarled, "Don't touch him!!"

More uncharacteristic silence fell on the group as Lee stepped back in shock.

"Sasuke." Kakashi's tone seemed playful, but there was an underlying warning in it. "Now is not the time to be overprotective. We are here to help. I promise we wont separate you from you're Naruto longer than we have to."

Tenten almost snorted with laughter and wasn't the only one to raise an eyebrow. But surprisingly, Sasuke simply nodded and let Lee lift Naruto up. Kakashi then helped Sasuke to his feet, steadying him as his knees threatened to buckle. Kakashi simply shook his head at the questioning look that adorned both Tenten's and Sakura's face.

Gai happily and loudly led the way through the trees, while Kakashi and Lee carefully followed with Sasuke and Naruto. Tenten and Sakura flanked them, and Gaara brought up the rear.

Naruto was hanging limply on Lee's back, piggyback style, gaping at the destruction they passed through. He had done that. He was responsible for the blood and the bodies. It was his fault that Sasuke couldn't walk on his own. At that moment, he felt utterly wretched.

Sasuke absolutely refused to be carried, and was forcing himself to walk, even if he was leaning so much of his weight on Kakashi that he might as well be carried. He was trying to ignore everything. The pain, the tiredness, the blood everywhere. The jealously that flooded him when he glanced at Naruto on Lee's back.

When Sasuke met those blue eyes for just a second before they squeezed shut, everything else left his mind. Nothing else mattered, but the pain. Oh how he wanted to fix that pain.

Although their progress was excruciatingly slow, they did eventually make it to the river, and not an instant too soon. Had they needed to go any farther, Sasuke doubted he would have made it there conscious.

Naruto was lain on a bed mat, and Kakashi rolled Sasuke one right next to him, helping the boy sit down, despite his stubborn protests that he could do it himself. And even as his worry ceased to end as he surveyed the two very broken and very drained boys before giving them enough space to rest in peace, he felt a great relief.

Both Sasuke and Naruto were alive, they were safe, and they were going to be okay, even if they were well below okay at that moment.


	71. Chapter 71

**So, sorry about not updating for a while… I had to get caught up with my homework. And guess what! I finally am! I'm completely caught up, and that means I'll have more time to right. So, I realize this chapter kind of jumps away from the main point of the story, but I figured I needed to through some comic relief into the mix before I make any other horrible things happen. Enjoy!! **

**Chapter Seventy One**

Tsunade took a deep breath as she downed yet another glass of saké. It was her fourth within the last hour and she was just barely starting to feel somewhat elated. But the feeling was too little too late, as one very pissed off Neji had already come and gone.

Okay, so Neji had a right to be pissed, but it was a little over the top. At least it was in her eyes. His team had gone on a mission without him. Instead, Gaara of the sand had filled in for him. He should get over it, right? Who cares if she hadn't even mentioned it too him and he had just found out because someone else had told him? Who could blame Tsunade for not telling him when it would cause the boy to blow up? Right?

It all made perfect sense to Tsunade as she quickly and eagerly started on her fifth glass of saké, finishing the bottle. It was her last one too.

The mission really hadn't been her idea. It had been Gaara's. The Kazekage had arrived and had of course demanded to see his favorite little blond idiot, Naruto. And somehow or another, with the brief explanation that Naruto was currently on a mission, Gaara had managed to worm out the exact details of team seven's mission as well as the vivid details of the blonde's well-being over the past few months.

Tsunade sighed and let her head come to a rest on top of the paperwork on her desk. Gaara had freaked- well as much as the eyebrow-less freak could freak. The pitch of his voice had actually changed. Just a little bit, but Tsunade had noticed. With that indication that it really was a big deal, plus the fact that Gaara had once had a demon in him too, Tsunade had grudgingly listened to what Gaara had to say about how Naruto shouldn't be out on any mission when he was having trouble with a demon.

Then, Gaara had asked- or rather demanded that a team be sent after Naruto, on the pretense that the Kazekage would drop all business with Tsunade at that moment and go look for Naruto himself. So Tsunade had agreed, insisting that Gai's team go.

But there was a small problem. The lord Hiashi had come to her not even two weeks before to say that he would be leaving Konoha for a while. It wasn't unusual, and he always came to tell her, and request that Neji not be sent on a mission while he was looking after Hinata. After the attack on the Hyuuga clan that had wiped out nearly all of them a few years ago, Hiashi was always more uptight, especially when it came to his only surviving daughter. And Tsunade wasn't about to do something that would displease lord Hiashi.

So, she had been faced with a decision. Send a different team, or have another ninja take Neji's place.

Again, it was Gaara's idea that he fill in for the Hyuuga. Instead, Temari and Kankuro, who had accompanied him to Konoha would stay and partake in all the official business. For the sake of simplicity, Tsunade had agreed.

There was a knock on the door, and Temari came into the office. She looked somewhat expectant and serious, but Tsunade was sure that she always looked that way. Sighing again, she sat up and resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to finish drinking herself into a blissful euphoria for quite a while.

Neji was absolutely furious. First, for two days he had been the only person that showed up for practice, and when he went looking for his teammates, they were nowhere to be found. Finally, after asking around, he had found out that they were on a mission- without him!! Not only that, Gaara had gone instead of him. Gaara! Of the fucking sand! How could he not be pissed!?!?!

Oh, but it gets worse still. When he had confronted Tsunade about it, she had told him why. Because looking after Hinata had been considered a mission. A very low level mission, but still, he wasn't eligible for another mission until his uncle returned.

To make a long story short, he was left out of the only A-ranked mission in months because his cousin still needed a babysitter.

Yeah. Neji was pissed. He was storming through the town, toppling over unsuspecting bystanders and kicking anything that happened to get in the way of his foot. Poor Kiba got kicked in the chest.

And then he ran into Hinata. He was too angry to even notice that she was standing there talking to someone, nor did he care who that person was. All he knew was that it was her fault, and he wanted to make sure that she knew it.

"You!!" He snarled, pointing his finger angrily at the girl, not noticing and not caring who she was talking to. "Its all your fault!! If it weren't for you- stupid!! Pathetic!!! Useless!!!" And he was gone, leaving a very confused Hinata standing by a just as confused Shikamaru.

"What was that about!?" Hinata asked, turning her gaze back to Shikamaru. Only moments ago he had been asking her where Neji was, and then he had come and gone.

"I don't know." Shikamaru shrugged. "But it looks like I missed my chance to talk to him. This is such a drag."

Hinata was still a little shaken, but patted him on the shoulder all the same. "He's still staying at the manor." Hinata was silent for a moment, then nodded as if to confirm her own thoughts. "Come home with me. You can talk to him there." She wasn't going to say it out loud, but she didn't really want to face such an angry Neji on her own. And Shikamaru could hold his own against Neji, right? She sure hoped so.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Whatever. This is so troublesome." But as troublesome as he said it was, he was still more than willing to follow Neji just to get that chance to talk to him. He had been trying to find him to talk to him since the night of the party, but the Hyuuga had been avoiding him.

At first he had thought it was unintentional. All he wanted to do was ask him a few questions, since Sasuke had left on a mission and Neji was supposedly the only other sober person there. But Hinata had finally filled him in on some information. Nothing really surprising or blunt. Just a few hints that she would drop here and there. But he was smart enough to figure out that it was indeed Neji who had left the many hickies on his neck, and a few in more hidden, somewhat unmentionable places. He also knew that he had left his own marks on the Hyuuga as well.

But he still wanted to ask Neji about it. For no other reason than closure, maybe, but he needed to talk to him about it.

Evidence of Neji's wrath was obvious on a few of the trees outside of the Hyuuga manor. They looked like they had taken a few chakra filled punches and kicks. Shikamaru hesitated as Hinata let herself into the house. Maybe it wasn't the best time to talk to Neji. He didn't want to end up looking like one of those trees.

Pushing past his hesitation, he followed Hinata inside.

Locating Neji was easy. All one had to do was follow the cursing. Hinata threw a timid look in the kitchen. "Hi Neji."

She was greeted by silence. "Um, well, Shikamaru's here to see you, so, um, I'll just leave you two alone." Hinata cast Shikamaru an apologetic look before darting up the hall and into her bedroom.

Shikamaru suppressed the urge to say how troublesome this was and went into the kitchen. Neji was frozen at the counter, with his back to him. "What do you want!?!"

Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe, wracking his brain. What did he want?

"I want to talk to you." After several moments of silence, that was all Shikamaru could come up with.

"About what?" Anyone less observant than Shikamaru wouldn't have picked up on the slightest bit of anxiety in Neji's voice.

"About the party."

Neji stiffened. His anger was temporarily washed from his mind as a light blush spread across his cheeks and he hurriedly busied himself by starting to wash the few dishes in the sink. "What about the party?"

Once again, Shikamaru wasn't quite sure how to answer. How should he approach the conversation he wanted to have? "Well, you were sober weren't you?"

Neji paused. Maybe Shikamaru didn't know what had happened. Maybe he could lie and completely through him off.

Of course, Shikamaru knew most of what had happened, and was just waiting to see how Neji would respond. He could see that the Hyuuga was embarrassed, but was he ashamed?

"No. I got pretty wasted." Neji finally answered truthfully.

"I see." Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk the slightest bit as he leaned on the counter next to Neji. "I don't suppose you would have been paying much attention to me then?"

Neji really didn't know how to answer that question. If he said he hadn't paid attention to him he would be flat out lying, and it could come back to bite him in the ass. But he couldn't exactly burst out and say that Shikamaru had been the object of his drunken desires either. So he compromised. "Kind of."

Shikamaru was starting to see the whole situation as a game. Could he possibly get Neji to tell him what happened without having to admit that he already knew? It was going to be a challenge, that was for sure.

"Kind of? Well then, did you happen to notice what I was doing?"

"No." It wasn't a lie. He hadn't noticed what Shikamaru had been doing. He didn't remember that part. He had found out about it afterwards. Or so he had convinced himself. The majority of the alcohol hadn't actually hit until a little while after they had retreated to the bedroom.

So, Shikamaru was a little frustrated. Shikamaru never got frustrated. It was too troublesome. And some of that frustration was coming from Neji not even glancing at him. Maybe he would lose this game just so he could get to the bottom of it.

"I already know."

Neji finally spared him a glance. "Then why are you asking me?" He was fighting uselessly against the blush that continued rising in his face.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to hear it from you. And I wanted to know what it meant?"

"What it meant?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah. What it meant. Was I really just such a pretty girl?"

Neji finally looked at him and snorted with indignation. "I knew you were a guy!"

The silence that fell between them was awkward and embarrassed. Neji had looked away again, blushing more furiously than he had ever blushed in his life, and Shikamaru was just staring at him with a mixture of shock and amazement. Neji murmured something that wasn't quite distinguishable. But Shikamaru was sure that he was being accused of being grossed out.

"I don't know what you just said but I'm not grossed out. We were both drunk. I'm not going to worry about it. Worrying is such a drag."

Neji still refused to look at him.

"So, are you gonna tell me exactly what happened or not?"

"You know what happened."

"Not the details!"

"Why do you want the details?"

"You're so troublesome! I just want to know what happened!" Shikamaru was more than a little frustrated, and was even more frustrated at the fact that he was feeling frustrated. He was too lazy to get frustrated!

Neji was embarrassed, and being difficult on purpose. And on top of that, he was angry. At what, he wasn't quite sure yet. "Details aren't important!"

"Yes they are!"

"Then what? You want a replay or something?"

"Yes!" The answer came before Shikamaru even had time to comprehend the question.

Neji's reaction came before he had time to stop and think about what he was doing. He grabbed Shikamaru's arm and dragged him out of the kitchen into the living room, shoving him roughly onto the couch and plopping down next to him.

Shikamaru was caught somewhere in between shock and excitement as Neji's lips were suddenly pressed hard against his. He only gasped softly and a second later Neji's tongue was dominating his mouth.

Hinata had heard the voices stop, and had ventured out of her room at that point in time, but upon seeing the two boys locked together on the couch, she had quickly retreated back to her bedroom.

Shikamaru finally got his bearings and ran his hand through Neji's hair, grabbing a handful and prying Neji's lips away from his so he could gasp for air. A moment later, their lips joined again and their tongues were in a full out war against each other.

Neji had moved and was now straddling Shikamaru, one hand cupping his jaw and the other on his waist. Shikamaru had two handfuls of Neji's long hair, and was using it to his advantage.

When Shikamaru broke them apart for air again, Neji wasted no time and quickly latched onto his neck, causing yet another gasp to escape.

"Anything else you want me to replay?" Shikamaru shuddered slightly as Neji's breath ghosted across his ear.

"Well…" He breathed in sharply as Neji bit down on his neck again. "I did have a bite mark in a very interesting place…"

Neji paused his movement and did a quick search for seriousness in Shikamaru's eyes. Then he attacked his lips with a new viciousness.

"Ahem." The sound of someone clearing their throat made both boys freeze. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Neji scrambled off Shikamaru and whipped around to face his uncle. Hiashi's eyes were wide with shock.

All Neji knew at that moment in time was that he wanted to disappear into oblivion.


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter Seventy Two**

Sasuke woke up slowly. He didn't even remember falling asleep. It was dark and he could see the moon shining through the trees directly above him.

Pain shot through his body as he sat up and looked around. Naruto was lying next to him. His blue eyes were staring blankly up at the dark sky.

"Naruto?" Sasuke was surprised by how raspy his voice was. Naruto's eyes flickered to him, but other than that he didn't move. "How are you doing?" Squinting through the darkness, Sasuke could see the blood that was still soaked in Naruto's clothes, but couldn't tell if any of it was fresh.

"I'm… okay." Sasuke almost missed his whispered reply. "How about you?"

"I'm fine." He lied promptly, leaning closer to get a better look at the blonde. His breathing was somewhat irregular. "Where is everyone?"

Naruto's eyes flickered again, this time looking past Sasuke, and he briefly followed the gaze. He could barely make out the form of a few bodies scattered around not too far away, and someone- he was pretty sure it was Gai- was standing and leaning against a tree, silently keeping watch over everyone that was sleeping.

Naruto was staring emptily at the sky again when Sasuke turned his attention back. He carefully reached out and let his hand come to rest on Naruto's arm.

Naruto couldn't help but jump a little, and then wince at the slight movement. Every time he moved, a fiery pain shot through his entire body, and that was on top of all the other aches and pains he was experiencing.

Holding Naruto's gaze, Sasuke hesitantly moved closer, abandoning his own sleeping mat and ignoring the increasing amount of pain he was feeling every time he moved. He laid down on his side, right up against the blond, one arm under his head as a pillow, while he brought his other hand up to lightly stroke Naruto's cheek. He could feel the heat radiating off of Naruto's face and was filled with a renewed sense of worry.

"You're really warm."

Naruto's eyes had fallen shut at Sasuke's contact, and he blinked them open to look at him once again. "I know." He didn't say anything else and his eyes slipped shut again.

Sasuke continued to stroke Naruto's cheek for a long time, until his arm felt like it was going to fall off from being used too much. Then he carefully rested it across Naruto's waist and let himself doze off too.

When Sasuke woke again, it was because Naruto was coughing and hacking violently. Sasuke opened his eyes and blinked at the bright sunlight before sitting up abruptly.

Naruto had rolled over onto his side, and blood was spraying out of his mouth with each cough that racked his body.

"Naruto!" Sasuke scrambled to his knees, tentatively feeling Naruto's forehead. "You're burning up!"

Kakashi chose that moment to arrive on the spot, as if summoned by Sasuke's worry.

"Give him a little space." Kakashi instructed firmly as he bent over Naruto's trembling form. Sakura and Lee came rushing over from whatever it was they had been doing, while Tenten and Gai watched from a more respectful distance, and Gaara was nowhere to be seen.

Sasuke ignored Kakashi's order, keeping his hand planted on Naruto's head and rubbing his back at the same time. He was more than a little surprised when he felt a hand land firmly on his chest and he was shoved away.

"He needs space, Sasuke." Kakashi's voice didn't waver from the normal calm tone, but his expression was serious as he lifted Naruto up into a sitting position.

"Ah, Kakashi, the brat's just worried. Give him a break."

Kakashi wasn't at all fazed by Jiriaya as he appeared a few feet away, although almost every one else jumped about a mile in the air. "It's about time you showed up."

Sasuke was glaring at the Sannin, also completely unfazed by his sudden appearance. "You!" Sakura gasped when Sasuke suddenly pushed himself to his feet, shakily balancing himself for a moment before stumbling over to where Jiriaya was standing. The Sannin easily dodged the punch aimed for his head and caught Sasuke as he nearly toppled over.

"Take it easy, brat." Jiriaya said, laughing slightly at the murderous glare in the Uchiha's eyes. He dropped him unceremoniously at Naruto's side and knelt down next to his old student.

"Hey brat."

"Hey pervy sage." Naruto's voice was strained, and his eyes were somewhat glazed over.

Jiriaya frowned, sharing a look with Kakashi. What they discussed in that look will probably never be known, but Jiriaya learned all he needed to in those few seconds. His face was notably softer when he glanced back at Naruto.

"Lie back." He instructed and gently lowered Naruto onto his back until his head was in Sasuke's lap, grimacing somewhat at the small cry of pain the blond let out.

Sasuke's hands immediately found their way to Naruto's hair, stroking gently as the Sannin pulled up his shirt to look at the seal.

In the center, the marks were still black, but on the edges, they were blotched with red, and appeared to be bleeding deeper into the skin. Some of the finer lines were fading away then reappearing, as if struggling to stay in place.

When Jiriaya put his hand on the seal, it changed from black to crimson, and Naruto yelled, arching his back as another, fiercer pain ripped through his body. Sasuke simply continued to stroke the blond hair, fighting down the wave of nausea that was threatening to overtake him.

Sakura was on the verge of tears as she watched the scene play out. Gai and Lee had been bawling for the past few minutes, sobbing something about the trials and pains of youth. Tenten was trying to feign disinterest, and was failing miserably.

Jiriaya couldn't even make a lame joke as he pulled his hand off the seal. Blood was smeared across his palm and fingers, and there was a hand print shaped smear across Naruto's stomach. He was appalled by the state of the seal. It was deteriorating from the inside, if that was even possible. "This is bad. You should have come to me about this a lot sooner."

Naruto simply offered a half-hearted smile in response and squeezed his eyes shut as another wave of pain went crashing through his body.

"Come to you sooner?" Sasuke suddenly demanded. "How the hell could he have done that when you weren't around to go to!?!"

Jiriaya ignored him, and instead stood up and walked away. Kakashi followed, along with Sakura and Tenten. Shortly after, Gai and Lee stopped sobbing long enough to follow them too.

Sasuke glared after them for a while as they stood talking just out of earshot, but turned his attention back to Naruto as he started coughing again, helping him sit up. He situated himself so that Naruto was sitting comfortably in between his legs and leaning back into his chest.

"Sasuke." Naruto mumbled as Sasuke resumed stroking his hair with one hand, while keeping himself propped up with the other. "You need to get away."

Sasuke paused in his movements for a second. "Why?"

Another bout of coughing prevented Naruto from answering for a moment. "Because… I don't want to hurt you. He- he's out to get you, and he's not going to kill you." A shudder wracked Naruto's body.

"I wont let that happen." Sasuke replied quietly, snaking his arms around Naruto and hugging him closer, burying his face in Naruto's neck. "I'm not going to lose you."

Loud, angry voices suddenly met their ears, and Sasuke glanced back to where Jiriaya and Kakashi were arguing with Sakura yelling at Tenten. Gai and Lee were still sobbing and Gaara had finally showed back up and was staying quiet.

Kakashi was panicked. What Jiriaya was proposing was outrageous!!! Preposterous!!! No way in hell was he going to let the insane man even try it. It was too risky on so many levels.

Jiriaya was arguing heatedly that it had to be done.

Sakura was pissed at Tenten for saying that Naruto didn't deserve to live.

Gai and Lee were just sobbing.

The conversation had started out like this.

"I really don't know what we can do." Kakashi had admitted right away. "I can't think of anything that would help Naruto."

"I can." Jiriaya said evasively.

Everyone had waited in silence for him to explain.

"We have to renew the seal." Jiriaya explained. "But with the old seal still in place, I'm not sure if it would work. Seals like that one aren't supposed to deteriorate. So I'm guessing that the Nine Tailed Fox is stronger than anyone ever realized. I'm amazed that Naruto's still alive."

"When you say renew the seal, what does that mean?" Sakura asked suspiciously. She had heard some rumors about the seal that the fourth hokage had used to seal away the fox. And none of those rumors were pleasant.

"I mean, the old one needs to be released and a new one needs to be put there."

"No." Kakashi spoke up again. "That is out of the question. You'll die."

"If I don't, then Naruto will die, and the fox might still get out."

Gaara suddenly appeared by jumping down from a nearby tree. He had been silently watching and listening to everything that played out. "If you do try it, the process could kill Naruto anyway."

"So? Who cares? As long as the demon doesn't get lose?" Tenten spat. The next instant Sakura's fist had made contact with her jaw.

"Shut your mouth!!"

And so the arguing was on.


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter Seventy Three**

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. Jiriaya was once more kneeling in front of Naruto and examining the seal. Kakashi was standing a few feet back, a very unhappy look portrayed in the small bit of his face that was actually showing. Sakura and Tenten were hanging back quite a ways, staying silent and watching nervously, and Gaara had leapt back up into a tree to watch silently. Gai and Lee had taken off a few minutes before, speedily heading back to Konoha and to Tsunade, to tell her exactly what they were planning on doing.

Naruto was writhing with pain and sweating profusely. The Nine Tailed Fox was excited. Very excited. He could sense the seriousness, as well as the potential.

"What are you doing!?!" Sasuke repeated, louder this time. He was holding the nervous blond close still, and could feel the tension in the air.

"Calm down brat." Jiriaya replied simply. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm going to try to fix the seal."

The muscles in Kakashi's jaw clenched visibly, but he remained silent. Fix the seal… if only it was as easy as it sounded.

Jiriaya sighed and started moving his fingers over the distorted seal mark, chanting something under his breath, and using a steady flow of chakra to reshape the seal.

Kakashi was watching tensely, and quickly pulled up his headband, revealing his Sharingan ridden eye. He didn't take his eyes off of Jiriaya, watching his every move like a starved jackal.

Naruto's breathing was becoming more and more labored, and Sasuke could feel him stressing, trying to get enough oxygen into his lungs. A choked cry suddenly burst from his lungs, and Jiriaya jerked his hands away from the seal. The tips of his fingers had been burned.

A shudder wracked Naruto's body, and Sasuke could feel the change that was starting to take place. Clawed hands were suddenly gripping his legs for support, while Naruto's body suddenly went stiff as a board.

Jiriaya was the only one who could move when, once again, those red eyes were in place of blue. The sannin quickly wrenched Naruto's grasp off of Sasuke and pulled him away, leaving him standing on his own two feet as he suddenly performed a series of hand signs, while yelling out words that no one could register for a minute.

"Get out of here!!"

Kakashi was watching with wide eyes as Jiriaya performed the signs, waiting for the moment when he would see what Jiriaya was doing. Sakura and Tenten had finally snapped out of their stupor and were helping Sasuke up and dragging him farther away from Naruto.

Jiriaya made the finishing hand sign, and his hand glowed as he suddenly darted for Naruto.

"NOOOO!!!" Kakashi tried to jump forward, but Jiriaya was far to quick as he landed a harsh blow on Naruto's stomach. But instead of Naruto flying backwards, it was Jiriaya and Kakashi, who had managed to get a grip on his arm, that went flying.

The red fled from Naruto's eyes, to be replaced by terror filled blue. A scream suddenly ripped from his throat and he fell to his knees, spewing another wave of blood out of his mouth and nose. He was clawing at his stomach, at the seal that was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, something was slowly emerging from his stomach. It wasn't breaking the skin, and could only be recognized by the ominous red glow of chakra, and suddenly a single tail shot into the air, where it swayed dangerously, towering fifteen feet above the ground.

The next part that squeezed out was the head. And with the head being free, came the taunting voice that had been haunting Naruto for too long.

"Ahh, how good it is to breathe the fresh air. Who wants to die first?"

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"WHAT!!?!!?!!?!!!" Tsunade's outraged voice echoed to even the farthest reaches of the village. Gai and Lee had come stumbling into her office, babbling words that couldn't be understood.

From the incessant babbling, she had deducted that they had run the whole way back to Konoha, making a journey that should have taken almost two full days in less than half a day.

Then they finally calmed down enough to tell her exactly what they had come to tell her.

Jiriaya was releasing the seal, and was going to reseal the fox.

Yes. She was pissed. But mostly, she was scared shit-less.


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter Seventy Four**

Up in his tree, Gaara was tensed. He was watching the scene play out in silent fear and uncertainty.

Jiriaya was trying desperately to remember how to perform the Reaper Death Seal that the fourth hokage had used to seal the fox with the first time. But even time he tried, he found he couldn't remember. He was paralyzed with fear. How it was ever accomplished in the first place was beyond him.

Sakura and Tenten had pulled Sasuke to his feet, and were trying to pull him farther away from the fox, which had finally gotten it's right forepaw free and took an angry swipe at Jiriaya. The vibes coming from the demon were enough to shake even the bravest ninja, and paralyze them with fear. As proof, Kakashi was completely frozen in place, his eyes wide as he made the mistake of making eye contact with the demon.

Naruto had fallen to his knees, and was completely oblivious to everything except the pain. The wrenching pain that came from the Fox's soul being ripped from every corner of his body and consciousness.

Jiriaya growled in frustration and had to dodge a lightning shaped bolt of chakra that came from the Fox's growling mouth and incinerated the tree it hit instead. Why couldn't he do it!?! He knew the seal! It had been he who taught it to the fourth hokage in the first place! So why was he stumbling over the hand signs? Was he really that afraid to die? Was he willing to let the fox go free so it could finish destroying Konoha like it had tried to do 17 years ago? Was he about to let it kill Naruto?

He was suddenly filled with a new resolve. No. He wasn't going to let it do anything. He was going to seal it away again, even if he had to give up his life to do it. With new strength, he looked defiantly up at the fox, fully intent on completing the seals this next time.

But he never got started. He had made the mistake of looking into the fox's eyes. They weren't the same eyes that had looked out from Naruto on too many occasions. No. Those eyes, while they did belong to the fox, were still human eyes.

Now, Jiriaya was looking strait into the demon's eyes, and even as the Fox pulled his other forepaw free, the fear shot through him like never before, racing through his blood like poison, and before he could make a single hand sign he went flying backwards, crashing through a tree and landing in a crumpled heap nearly fifty feet away.

Tenten screamed, and passed out as the fox turned its amused eyes to her. Sakura had her eyes squeezed shut and was still trying to pull Sasuke away. But Sasuke was struggling to get closer.

He didn't see the fox. He knew it was there, but he didn't see it. He only noticed Naruto, and the pain that clenched at his chest as he watched the most important person in his life in agony, tears streaming silently down his face.

"Let me go!!" Sasuke demanded. He didn't care if he died, but he'd be damned if he just stood by and let Naruto suffer this by himself.

"No. Sasuke… You'll be killed!" Sakura said, fighting to hold the desperate Uchiha back.

"I don't care!! Sakura! I swear, if you don't let me go I'll kill you!!!"

Sakura trembled at the tone of his voice, but resolutely held him at pay. Using her chakra, she managed to back him up a few steps until she had him pinned against a tree while he still struggled to get to Naruto. She chanced a glance back to the horrendous demon, and could feel her stomach lurch. Three more of the Fox's tails were waving above it in a menacing show of strength, and his attention was currently fixed on Kakashi, who still hadn't moved, and was within easy range of being crushed by one of the enormous paws, or snapped in half by the powerful jaws. And he was in no shape to escape an attack at that point.

Sakura jumped and shrieked as a hand suddenly touched her arm. Gaara was standing next to her, and gazing at the fox unflinchingly.

"I need you to do something."

Like always, Sakura wanted to shy away from this very creepy boy. His voice always sent chills up her spine, but she listened intently.

"When I say, get your sensei out of there. I will distract the demon."

Sakura nodded, casting an anxious glance at Sasuke.

"I will deal with the Uchiha right now." Sakura jumped back as Gaara quickly and swiftly performed the same seal on Sasuke that Sasuke had performed on her and Kakashi. He looked shocked, sending Gaara a look of pure loathing as he slid helplessly to the ground.

Gaara walked slowly and surely in a wide circle around the fox, giving Sakura a barely noticeable nod as the demon turned its attention to him.

The Fox noticed one thing about this red headed kid. There wasn't fear in his eyes. He was resonating much the same aura that Naruto did when he had struggled with the Fox. There wasn't fear. Just a sense of duty. He remembered this kid, in Naruto's memories. He was Gaara of the sand. He was the one who had a demon of his own.

Gaara had watched, waiting to see what happened. He knew of a seal that could possibly work to subdue the Fox. But he didn't know if it would work.

Having had Shukaku in him for so long had made him obsessively curious about seals, especially powerful one's like the one that had sealed the demon in him. He had studied them with a passion.

He had discovered many flaws in the seal that had once adorned his body. The demon had too much leadway. Too much power. And he had found a way to change the seal so that, in theory, the demon would have many more limits.

He had never tried it. He wasn't about to test a seal out on someone just for the hell of it. Not when so many things could go wrong. And, he didn't want anyone to have to deal with a demon if they didn't absolutely have to.

And he didn't know if it would work.

Sakura had pried Kakashi away from the fox, and he was curled up on his side, his eyes glazed and senseless. She had also moved Tenten, and then gone to find Jiriaya. He was unconscious and in terrible shape, but he was still breathing.

The fox laughed as Gaara stood, just outside his reach. He was free up to his hind legs and six of it's tails wear swaying in the air.

For a moment, neither moved. Sakura was watching, transfixed. Gaara's lips were moving, as if he was talking to himself.

They both started at once. The fox shot another bolt of chakra out, just as Gaara started performing a number of strange and complicated handsigns. Gaara barely managed to dodge his attack, while still continuing to sign. He was also muttering out a cantation that wasn't understood by Sakura or the Fox.

But the fox could recognize the danger. He hadn't been able to understand what was happening when he had been sealed away the last time, and he wasn't about to let it happen again. He started attacking viciously, wrenching a back leg free and straining to have full freedom of movement. Another tail shot into the air.

Gaara was constantly dodging his attacks, still performing the necessary signs, and it was aggravating the fox to no end.

Then, Gaara had to run up a tree to avoid another one of his attacks, just as he performed the last sign, and what looked like a glowing ball of glass appeared in his hand.

The fox laughed. It looked to him like the pitiful jutsus that had been used on him for years. It was an attack. But that kid had another thing coming if he though he could possibly do him harm.

Laughing again, the demon ripped his last leg out and charged at Gaara, just as Gaara leapt from the tree to charge at him. The tip of the Fox's ninth tail was still in Naruto's stomach when they met.

The laughter died when the fox felt the huge, surge of energy, drawing him forward. Gaara's brow was furrowed in concentration as he used every ounce of his willpower to keep drawing the fox into the seal in his hand.

Sakura's knees gave out as she watched on, the breath was completely stolen out of her body. What had first looked like a glass orb in Gaara's hand was turning red as the fox disappeared into it. And the more of the fox that was gathered in, the redder it got, until it was the deep crimson color of blood.

Gaara was panting and sweating as another tail was absorbed into the orb. He could feel his energy draining away, but he knew he couldn't stop yet. If he did, he would fail.

The last tail was still clinging to Naruto, and the blond had been dragged closer as the fox still resisted letting go. He was now almost nose to nose with Gaara.

Gaara grabbed Naruto's shoulder, and with one last pull, the last of the ninth tail disappeared into the glowing crimson orb, and a pair of infuriated eyes looked out of it.

Sasuke was watching suspiciously. It wasn't finished yet. He didn't even need the Sharingan to know that. Gaara was staring inquiringly into Naruto's eyes, asking a question without speaking. Naruto simply nodded mutely.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Gaara whispered, summoning forth the last of his chakra. "But this is going to hurt."

"NOO!!!" But Sasuke's yell went unheeded and Gaara suddenly gripped Naruto's shoulder tightly and thrust the glowing orb into his stomach, and a blinding light and a wave of power exploded from the contact, temporarily blinding everyone and knocking the wind out of them.

In the next instant, Sasuke felt the seal fall from his body and he scrambled to his feet with single-minded determination. He had to get to Naruto. He blindly stumbled forward, trying blink away the white spots from his vision.

Naruto was splayed on his back, and his eyes were closed. Sasuke dropped down at his side, his eyes searching over him for any sign of life. A wave of panic and despair filled him. Naruto wasn't breathing.

When Sakura woke up, it was to the one sound she never thought she'd ever hear. Sasuke was crying.


	75. Chapter 75

**Okay, so I was gonna be mean and wait to update this chapter, but I couldn't have everyone worried about Naruto, now could I? **

**Chapter Seventy Five**

Naruto looked slowly around. He had been to this place before. It was a long, dark corridor, and at the end was a locked cell. It was where the fox was locked away in his subconscious.

But the bars were bent and cracked, and the entire cell was in ruin. He felt a shiver of fear. Did that mean the fox was out?

He heard a sound, coming from down the corridor in the opposite direction of the cell. Wearily, he followed the noise. It sounded like metal clinking on the floor.

There was a door, slightly ajar. Hesitantly, he stepped through it.

It was a huge chamber, that was made out of stones that looked like glass. Everywhere in this chamber, in every reflection was the nine tailed fox glaring at him with a look that made him tremble.

But in the middle of the room was a tiny fox cub, about the size of a small cat. It had a heavy chain around its neck, and it's head was bowed under the weight. Naruto stared for a minute. Then he laughed.

It was truly mirthful, hysterical laughter. It didn't even stop when he heard that same taunting voice.

"Oh shut the hell up!!" The little fox tried to leap forward, but his chakra was quickly absorbed into the wall, leaving him just as helpless as an ordinary baby fox. He growled, and ever reflection that showed his true sized self was absolutely terrifying. But he still wasn't.

Naruto kept laughing. It was too perfect. He had no idea what had happened, but it was too perfect. The fucker deserved this kind of humiliation.

Naruto finally stopped laughing and looked around. He was feeling strange… elated. Something just felt off.

"It's because your dying stupid!" The fox snarled.

"What!?!"

"That's what happens when you don't breath."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wha- then how do I breath!?!"

The little fox shrugged. "I don't know, but you better figure it out soon. I don't want to die like this."

Naruto ignored him and ran back out into the corridor, desperately looking for any sign of how he was supposed to get out. He felt stronger, and there wasn't as much pain. But he felt faded.

"Hey!! Oi!!! Wake up!!! Breathe!!!" Naruto screamed, his voice echoing down the corridor. Nothing happened, but he could hear the fox snickering behind him.

Then panic filled him. He didn't want to die. He wasn't ready to die yet. He still had something to do. There was no other way to describe the feeling other than that he felt transparent. This was it. He was never going to see Sasuke again.

"Sasuke…" Naruto felt the tears starting to choke him. He had to see Sasuke

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Sakura watched through tear filled eyes as Sasuke sobbed into Naruto's chest. At least twenty minutes had passed since she had woken up, and Kakashi was the only other person standing.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned softly. He was fighting not to break down and start sobbing along side the boy. "Sasuke… he's-"

"SHUT UP!!!!!" Sasuke suddenly sat up and glared at Kakashi. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!! He- he's just- he's- Naruto…" Sasuke let himself collapse back onto Naruto's chest, sobs wracking his entire body painfully. He hadn't even cried this hard when his family had been killed. He needed Naruto. He couldn't live without him.

Sakura choked out a sob, and busied herself checking on everyone else, ignoring the steady stream of tears that were falling down her face. Gaara was completely drained, and would probably be out for days. Tenten just needed to wake up, and Jiriaya- well, Jiriaya needed some major medical attention.

Kakashi was looking down at Naruto's face, noting the paleness. His eyes traveled over his body and he noticed just how much weight Naruto had lost. Through his tattered shirt, he caught sight of a seal, but it wasn't the same seal as before. Bending down, he pulled the shirt up to reveal a crimson seal that was distinctly demon shaped and wound its way up the right side of his rib cage. Looking closer, he could see hundreds of little symbols that made up the image, and almost none of which he had seen before.

"Gaara did this seal?" Kakashi asked, putting his hand on it. It felt hot under his hand.

Sasuke looked up, the bitterness showing in his tear-filled eyes. "Yes." The simple word was spat out like a curse. He laid his head back on Naruto's chest, closing his eyes against everything, still sobbing quietly.

Kakashi got up and left Sasuke in his mourning, joining Sakura, who was kneeling next to a newly awoken Tenten.

"What- what happened?" Tenten asked, her eyes traveling over the unconscious forms of both Gaara and Jiriaya, and over to where Sasuke was crying over Naruto. She felt a shiver of pain as she looked into Kakashi's solemn eyes and finally into Sakura's tear-filled ones.

"Is…" Her throat constricted painfully. "Is Naruto…?"

Sakura just put her face in her hands and gave into the pain, sobbing. Tenten let a sob of her own escape and the next moment the two girls were hugging and sobbing together.

Sasuke finally stopped crying, and was staring unseeingly at the two girls. The only thought going through his head was that Naruto was dead. His Naruto, his only friend, the person he loved was dead. And he no longer had the will to live.

Curling tighter into Naruto's still form, his head lying on his chest, right above where the heartbeat should have been, he gave into the despair.

Jiriaya awoke to tremendous pain and tremendous sorrow in the air. Kakashi was sitting next to him, and the look in his eyes said more than enough. Naruto was dead.

"The demon was sealed." Kakashi said dully, his voice dead.

Jiriaya nodded, even that small movement causing him a great amount of pain. Then the tears came.

Seeing the sannin cry openly cause Kakashi to lose what control he did have and he let the tears fall.

Sasuke moved until his body was pressed up against Naruto's, and he was staring at that expressionless face.

"Naruto." His voice was just the barest of whispers and he stroked the dirty blond hair.

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Naruto was sitting alone in the corridor. He could feel the ghost touches on his body of people still out in life. He could hear muffled voices and sobs. He could feel the pain. He could even hear Sasuke's voice in particular.

But the feeling was getting more and more remote. The only thing he could feel now was the cold. And the hand ghosting through his hair.

Then he heard Sasuke's voice, calling out his name.

"Naruto." It was barely a whisper, but Naruto heard it. "Naruto. What am I supposed to do without you? I need you. I need you more than I've ever needed anything. I love you."

Every feeling he had ever felt for Sasuke, the good and the bad, swelled in his chest, and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Sasuke, I love you too." His voice echoed sadly down the corridor. More than anything, he wished he was looking in Sasuke's eyes to tell him that. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking the haunting place from his sight, and when he opened them again, everything stayed black. Suddenly, he found he couldn't breathe, and was struggling to take a breath. So this was dying.

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Sasuke had laid his head back on Naruto's chest. His eyes were shut against the world and he was willing himself to wake up from this nightmare.

Then he heard something. The barest flicker in Naruto's still chest. Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He heard it again, more solidly this time. And it came again, sooner this time. It was a heartbeat.

Sitting up a bit, he looked intently into Naruto's face. Was there a slight flush on his cheeks? Had that been there before?

Then it happened, and a shot of pure adrenaline surged through Sasuke's system. Naruto choked, gasping for air. He had been dead for nearly an hour.

"Naruto!" Sasuke's yell caused everyone to jump, and he was pulled the blond up and held him to his chest as the blond took a few more shaky breaths.

Kakashi was there in a flash, bending over to gaze with wide eyes as Naruto took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Sasuke was crying again as he gazed into those confused blue orbs.

"Don't cry Sasuke." Naruto said weakly, letting his head fall onto his shoulder. "I hate to see you sad…" His eyes fluttered closed again as he passed out. Sasuke cradled him closer, looking up into Kakashi's shocked eyes. Behind him Sakura and Tenten were staring questioningly.

A smile found it's way onto Kakashi's face. "Well, that was unexpected."

A smile graced Sasuke's lips as he glanced down at the unconscious blond, who was drooling on his shoulder now, but still breathing. "Unexpected, but not unwelcomed."

Kakashi beamed, turning to the two girls. "He's alive."

Both girl's jaws dropped, and they exchanged shocked glances before squealing and pulling each other into a huge hug. Jiriaya was staring at Kakashi incredulously from where he was propped up against a tree. Then he smiled too.

"Everything might still turn out okay." Jiriaya said quietly to himself as he watched Sasuke holding Naruto with all the fervor of a worried lover.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy Six**

When Naruto woke up, he felt good. There was no other way to describe it. All his aches and pains were gone, and he could feel his chakra supply chomping at the bit to be used. A very warm body was pressed up against his back, and two arms were wrapped around his waist. He could feel breath on the back of his neck.

He could tell it was Sasuke by his arms. Those strong but slender arms couldn't belong to anyone else. He smiled, looking around. It was dark. He had no idea what had happened since Jiriaya had started messing with the seal. It was scary to not be able to recall the past who-knows-how-many hours. All he remembered was being stuck in that corridor for what seemed like days, and then the few seconds he had woken up and looked into Sasuke's eyes before everything had gone black.

He could sense the presence of five other people besides Sasuke. And he knew every one of them. And although he could tell immediately that not everything was as it should be, nothing was really wrong either.

He sighed, leaning farther back into Sasuke's warmth, still staring through the darkness. The slight movement caused Sasuke to stir.

"Naruto?" Sasuke propped himself up on one elbow to look down at the blond. Naruto turned his head to look at him with those loving blue eyes. He looked inquiringly down at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel pretty good." Naruto replied quietly, lifting a hand to gently caress Sasuke's cheek. "What happened?"

A dark look passed over Sasuke's face. "You- I thought you were- I didn't think, I knew you were…" Sasuke's voice dropped down to a very quiet whisper. "You were dead, Naruto. You weren't breathing, you had no heart beat. You were dead." He choked back the tears that were threatening to spill so easily at the very fresh memory.

"Shh." Naruto sat up and pulled him into a tight embrace. He lovingly stroked his hair, whispering in his ear. "It's okay. I'm here now. And I'm not going to die. I need you, too Sasuke. I love you."

Sasuke buried his face into Naruto's neck, his lips brushing against the skin as he whispered his next words. "You were dead… for an hour Naruto. An hour… I'm so afraid that I'm going to wake up next to your cold dead body and this will all not be real."

"Hey." Naruto lifted Sasuke's chin so he could look him in the eye. "Look at me. Look at me and tell me this isn't real."

Sasuke stared into his eyes for a minute, a few tears still rolling down his cheeks. Naruto gently brushed them away and pressed his forehead to Sasuke's.

Sasuke closed his eyes, relishing the feel of Naruto being so close. He brought a hand up and cupped Naruto's cheek, gently running his thumb over the soft skin. Naruto smiled warmly, putting his hand over Sasuke's on his cheek.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Sasuke sighed and pulled his head back a ways, looking questioningly into Naruto's eyes. Slowly and hesitantly, he lifted Naruto's chin and pressed their lips together into a gentle and timid kiss. He could feel both his and Naruto's heartbeats speed up as Naruto pressed closer. His tongue flicked out to brush Sasuke's lower lip, and Sasuke's mouth opened to grant him access.

After a few short seconds of messaging each other's tongues, Sasuke pulled away, and still somewhat timidly climbed into Naruto's lap, straddling. Naruto's hands found their way to his waist, and he gripped the blonde's shoulders as he kissed him again, more hungrily this time. He took the initiative, sliding his tongue in and out of Naruto's mouth a few times before plunging it in to explore a mouth that was not his own.

Naruto moaned quietly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's back and pulling him closer. Sasuke smirked a bit into the kiss and shifted his hips enough to create a delicious friction that had them both moaning into each other's mouths.

It would have continued to heat up a lot more too, if they hadn't been so rudely interrupted.

"Well, this is interesting." Kakashi's amused voice made them freeze, and they simultaneously turned their heads to look at their sensei.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake Naruto." Kakashi began, a mischievous look in his eye. "Sasuke, I hope you realize that since Naruto actually was dead for a while, you could be considered a necrophiliac."

Sasuke flushed with both anger and embarrassment. Kakashi continued. "I can't say I'm too surprised, after all, you two became very close. Almost two close. But I wont complain. Your team work has improved." He turned to walk away. "Oh, and boys? You might want to do that until you're really alone."

Both boys flushed heavily and looked at each other, and Sasuke quickly and awkwardly climbed off Naruto's lap. Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well. That was embarrassing."

Sasuke snorted lying down a few agonizing feet away from Naruto. Kakashi did have a point. While their sensei hadn't reacted bad to catching them making out and on the verge of doing much more, anyone else could have had a fit. And that would cause a lot of problems.

Naruto was thinking along the same lines. He was pouting, but was lying a few feet away. They watched each other for a while, aware of every movement the other made, as well as every breath they breathed. Slowly, they both drifted off to sleep.


	77. Chapter 77

**I'm sorry for not updating for such a long time… I got caught up in a million other things and I just didn't have time to write… hopefully I'll be able to update a lot more often now and I'll be bringing this story to a close so I can start on my next one…  
Chapter Seventy Seven**

Naruto woke up once again a little while after sunrise. He was fully rested, and there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep. His body was practically flooded with all the extra energy.

Sasuke was still sleeping soundly when Naruto got up, and didn't stir when the blond lovingly stroked the side of his face. A tremendous feeling of guilt came to rest in his chest when he noted just how beat up Sasuke looked. Many bruises and cuts were showing through the tattered clothing, and he could tell just how tired Sasuke was.

This made him wonder just how badly off everyone else was. He quickly went to see.

Kakashi was standing guard over everyone. He was watching Naruto carefully from his position in a tree, and was only a little surprised when Naruto found him immediately and effortlessly leapt up to sit next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked. He wasn't oblivious to the look of guilt Naruto wore.

"I feel fine. Like I haven't felt for almost a year." Naruto replied.

"A year?" Kakashi was more surprised now.

"Yeah. It's been almost a year since the Fox started breaking lose, if that's even the right way to say it. But he's sealed away again. I saw him." Naruto gazed imploringly at Kakashi. "What happened?"

Kakashi sighed. It was a very un-Kakashi-like thing to do, but the situation called for it. He didn't really want to tell Naruto exactly what happened, but he knew he needed to. In truth, he was ashamed of his own actions when he was faced with the fox. And he wanted to protect Naruto from the pain the truth would cause. He knew very well that Naruto would blame himself. He always did.

But Naruto had a right to know the truth. So that's what Kakashi told him. He told Naruto every little detail, of everything that he knew had happened. Even of his own cowardice.

Naruto was silent for a long time, thoughtfully chewing his lip as the sun crept further and further into the sky. At length, he spoke.

"You're not a coward."

Kakashi turned to look at him, but didn't reply.

"The fox is absolutely terrifying. You're not a coward. I'm a coward. I'm weak. I was too scared and too weak to stand up to it, and people got hurt."

Kakashi shook his head. "Anyone else would have given up a very long time ago, and even more people would have gotten hurt. You did better than you can even imagine, Naruto."

Naruto still didn't look convinced as he stared down at the ground where their teammates were still resting. Even from the height, Naruto could see individual injuries that the fox made. Gaara was barely breathing.

"So." Kakashi said casually, searching and finding a change of subject. "You and Sasuke, huh?"

"Oh, uh… I- I…" Naruto flushed heatedly. He hadn't had time to think about it yet, or to talk to Sasuke about it, but there was something there that he had been yearning for, for a very long time. And it pained him to no end to know how much pain he had caused Sasuke in the short period he had died.

Kakashi was smirking. In all the years he had known Naruto, he had only seen him truly embarrassed a few times. Sure, there were plenty of times the blonde had been flustered, but he was never embarrassed. Except for now. "So, how long have you two been together?"

Naruto the blush on Naruto's cheeks deepened. "Well, I don't know if that's the right way to put it…" He was saved from further explanations by someone stirring down on the ground. Sakura was waking up, stretching languidly before sitting up and gazing around, slightly disheveled. Naruto abandoned Kakashi and jumped down to greet her.

"Naruto!!!" Her voice was incredibly loud and she threw herself on the blonde, successfully waking every slumbering member of the group, with the exception of Gaara. She was oblivious to the glares she was getting for various reasons. "I'm so glad you're alright!!!"

Naruto hugged the pink haired girl back somewhat awkwardly. Now that she had successfully woken everyone, Sasuke and Tenten got wearily to their feet, and Jiriaya remained where he was, still too banged up to move much.

As soon as Naruto was finally released from his teammates grip, he found himself face to face with a very apologetic, and very ashamed looking Tenten.

"Naruto… I just wanted to- to apologize for the way I treated you. It was uncalled for, and I wont do it again. I hope you can forgive me."

Naruto had to swallow back his surprise, and instead smiled widely. "Don't worry about it!" He received a small smile from the girl in return.

Sasuke was glaring at Sakura, and he wasn't the only one. However, while everyone else was glaring because of her loud voice, he was glaring because she had dared to get so close to his Naruto.

Yes, his.

He was tempted to settle everything once and for all, and declare the truth, that Naruto was his. But common sense held him back. Damn that common sense.

The normal morning bustling was soon underway, and a small cooking fire was made before Naruto found himself sitting next to Jiriaya and about to have a long overdue talk with him.

"Hey brat." Jiriaya began.

"Hey pervy sage." Was the ever witty reply. "You broken for good old man?"

"Brat! I outta…"

Naruto laughed. "You outta what? I know! You'll leave, right?" He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Jiriaya's smile faltered. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had things to do. Even a brat like you can understand something like that."

"Yeah? Well even a brat like me knows how to write a message too." Naruto had to fight to keep his voice under control, as well as the long buried miserable feeling from spilling out of his chest.

Jiriaya didn't have an answer for that. "I'm sorry."

Naruto sighed. "Whatever. Forget it. Everyone leaves at some point. At least some people come back." He unknowingly glanced at Sasuke when he said this.

Jiriaya was silent for a minute as Naruto continued to watch Sasuke.

"So, brat. Have you two gone all the way yet?"

"What!?!" Naruto sputtered indignantly, turning to glare at the Sannin. He could have punched the man wearing such a smug look, if the old geezer hadn't been as gravely injured.

"Come on! You have to give me more credit than that! I may be injured but I still have eyes and ears! And the way he was crying over your body yesterday, I could tell there's way more than friendship there."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, blushing furiously and looking around to make sure no one else was within hearing distance.

"So? Have you?"

"Have I what?"

Jiriaya clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Have you had sex with the Uchiha?"

The blush covering Naruto's cheeks deepened tremendously. "No!"

"Oh." Jiriaya looked thoughtful. "You do know how to right? To have sex with another guy, I mean. It's not exactly common."

Naruto's face only flushed deeper and his look was a look of utter horror as Jiriaya proceeded to tell him everything he needed to know about sex with a woman, a man, or both.

"And with that knowledge, you can go almost anywhere." Jiriaya ended proudly, seemingly oblivious to the incredulous look Naruto was giving him.

"I really didn't need to know that, and I don't want to know how you know all of it." Naruto said, quickly standing up.

"Ah. You see, that is actually a rather funny story. I was at a bar in Suna once, a few years back and…" Naruto quickly walked away, leaving Jiriaya with a disappointed, but somewhat mischievous look on his face.

"You look rather flushed, Naruto." Kakashi pointed out as the blonde approached the small cooking fire that the ninja were utilizing. No plans to head back to Konoha had been made yet, and it wasn't likely they would be heading back until the majority of their number was in better shape.

Naruto ignored Kakashi and sat down, shuddering slightly to himself.

_Think happy thoughts… think happy thoughts… hmm… butterflies… trees… Sasuke… mmm… Sasuke…_Naruto shook his head and smiled.


	78. Chapter 78

**So here's the next chapter... also, i'm posting a preview/introduction for the next story i'm going to be working on since this one is almost done... i still have a few more chapters to go but i'd appreciate it if you could tell me if the new story sounds any good... **

**Chapter Seventy Eight**

Naruto wasn't too keen on taking a bath in the river. First off, it was far too likely that he would be interrupted, and he wasn't at all fond of the idea of anyone seeing him naked. Second, something bad always happened when he was naked and vulnerable. And the leading experts agree, that Karma will come bite you in the ass when you're naked.

But he smelled horrible. Or at least he thought he did. No one else had complained, because everyone smelled, but Naruto couldn't stand being that dirty. There was still caked blood on his skin and clothes. He needed to wash.

So he did.

And Karma had big fangs that day.

Somehow, it hadn't been mentioned to him that there would soon be another team coming to find him, because everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that Gai and Lee had charged off to warn Tsunade of Jiriaya's plan. And of course, Tsunade didn't know how that planned hadn't worked out. So the arrival of another team shouldn't have been such a big surprise.

But it was.

Naruto had just stripped his clothes off and dived in the water when he felt the presence of chakra other than his own, and he scrambled ashore, cursing violently and digging through his clothes to get to his weapons pouch. Before he had managed it however, the four ninja were there.

"Naruto!" Naruto yelped at the familiar voice.

A very relieved, and very excited Iruka had a very embarrassed and very naked Naruto in a tight hug in a flash.

Through Iruka's arms, Naruto could see the other three ninja that were accompanying him, as well as his own teammates, who came crashing through the trees to investigate.

Neji had a somewhat bored, amused look on his face upon seeing the blonde caught in the grasps of the very worried Jounin. The look on Temari's face made Naruto squirm more than anything. She was checking him out, and apparently she liked what she saw. Shikamaru was resolutely looking elsewhere, and mouthed the words "How troublesome."

Kakashi was laughing openly, and a little ways behind him Sakura and Tenten were sheepishly averting their eyes, although they stole glances occasionally. Sasuke looked absolutely furious.

"Iruka-sensei!!" Naruto pushed away from the other man desperately, snatching up his clothes and trying to cover himself as well as he could while the blood rushed to his face.

"Oh. Sorry." Iruka muttered, suddenly seeming to realize the exact details of his surroundings.

Squeals of laughter suddenly came from Sakura and Tenten as the humor of the situation suddenly made itself known.

"Well, this is only a little awkward." Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. Naruto glared at him. "Lets leave the nude blond alone so he can finish being nude. Then we can all talk about what I'm sure needs to be talked about."

At least a few people were happy to comply with this. Shikamaru and Neji wasted no time in getting out of sight of the blonde. Temari peeled her eyes away rather reluctantly, but did so all the same. Besides, she needed to talk to Gaara.

Tenten and Sakura had to be shooed away by Kakashi and Iruka, and soon only Sasuke was left with the still very embarrassed blond, who was quickly pulling on his clothes and muttering under his breath.

"…happens all the freakin time… can't bath in peace… always happens…" he wasn't even aware that Sasuke was still present until the Uchiha was less than a foot away from him.

"Woah!" Naruto jumped in shock and took a step backwards. Sasuke just smirked and took another step closer, closing the distance between them.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." Sasuke leaned closer, letting his breath ghost across the skin on Naruto's neck before lightly kissing the spot right under his ear. Naruto shuddered slightly. "I don't want to ever see you naked in someone else's arms again."

The blush that still lingered on Naruto's face deepened again, and he smiled sheepishly. "Well, it will be hard, seeing as I'm such a wanted commodity, but I think I can manage."

Sasuke grinned and playfully nipped at his neck before he too left to join the group the discussion that was starting without them. Naruto soon darted after him.

"What happened to Gaara!!?!!" Temari was demanding loudly. She was hovering over the unconscious form of her brother, and although she was fighting to keep her composure, it was a losing battle.

"He drained his chakra stores." Kakashi explained calmly.

"And just how the hell did he do that!?!"

Naruto shifted guiltily and cleared his throat. Eyes snapped to him, and Temari's gaze softened just a bit. "Don't get mad at them, Temari. Its my fault."

There was an instant uproar of disagreement, in which four different voices yelled at Naruto to not be stupid- it wasn't his fault. He shook his head. "Gaara had to seal the nine tailed fox back in me." Naruto resolutely avoided making eye contact with anyone as a silence fell.

"B-back in you?" Iruka stuttered, his questioning look leaving Naruto and coming to rest on Kakashi. "Exactly what happened?"

"Well, you see…" It was Jiriaya that answered. "The seal was deteriorating. So, if we didn't do something about it, the fox was going to break through on its own. I tried to fix the seal, but it wasn't working, so the only thing to do was to put a new seal on it all together. And to do that, the old one had to be released."

Temari crossed her arms. "That still doesn't explain what happened to Gaara. Why was he the one to do the seal? I know for a fact that he doesn't know how to do the seal that Naruto had on his stomach."

"Will you shut up and let me finish, brat!" Jiriaya snapped. "I was getting to that part. When the seal was released, the fox was released. I thought I would be able to just reseal the fox. I was wrong. Now, more than ever, I appreciate the strength that the fourth hokage had to have had to seal the demon away in the first place." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I wasn't conscious to see exactly what happened, but I know that Gaara resealed the fox. I don't know what happened, but when I came too, Gaara was passed out, and Naruto was dead."

"What!?!" Iruka yelped, looking wildly at Naruto. "Dead? But- He's standing right here!"

"He's not dead now, stupid."

Iruka turned to glare darkly at the Uchiha. "Obviously." He then turned to Kakashi. "I still don't understand what happened."

Kakashi shrugged and looked up from the book no one had noticed he was reading. "Join the club."

A vein started throbbing in Iruka's temple, and he would have attacked his fellow Jounin if Sakura hadn't finally spoke up.

"I saw what happened." Her voice was rather timid as every eye suddenly was on her. "I'm not sure exactly what I saw, but the fox wasn't completely out of Naruto when Gaara went up against it." Everyone remained silent as she told them exactly what she saw.

Temari was scowling and looking down at her little brother. "Stupid. Why'd you go and do that."

She jumped when Gaara answered. "Because someone had to. Must you guys be so loud? I'm trying to sleep."

"Gaara!" In a flash, Naruto was kneeling beside the redhead. "You're awake!"

"Unfortunately."

"How did you seal the fox!?" Iruka was suddenly standing next to Gaara, looking down at him.

Gaara furrowed his invisible eyebrow. "Sealed the fox…?" Suddenly he sat up, causing Naruto to jump in surprise at the sudden movement and then squirm uncomfortably when the Kazekage studied him carefully. "It worked?"

Everyone there sweatdropped, and Sasuke scowled. "Yeah it worked. Isn't that what was supposed to happen?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't know. I'd never tried it before. I made it myself."

Sasuke was clenching his teeth. "You didn't know it would work? And you risked Naruto's life by using it?"

Gaara matched the Uchiha's glare. "I didn't try it until everything else had failed. And as I recall, you weren't being of much use."

Naruto leapt up and had to forcibly stop Sasuke from attacking Gaara.

"You bastard! You killed him! He was dead! He was dead for a fucking hour!!!!!" Sasuke stopped struggling as Naruto's arms wrapped around him and held him tight, pulling him farther from where Gaara was sitting on the ground.

Whereas everyone else was now watching Gaara, Neji's eyes were planted firmly on the distraught Uchiha. He smirked slightly when he noticed that Naruto was whispering in his ear. Sasuke looked up and met his eyes for a brief second, before turning his full attention to Naruto, who was still holding him tight.

"They seem cozy." Shikamaru muttered to Neji. He hadn't been paying attention to much that was being said, and was busy staring at the clouds, but he was observant enough.

Neji's smirk widened. "Yes, they do, don't they?"


	79. Chapter 79

**Warning: This chapter is sexually graphic… consider yourself warned…**

**The long awaited lemon… o.O…**

**Chapter Seventy Nine**

"What the hell were you thinking!!?!!"

After the needed explanations, it hadn't taken long to deduct that everyone needed to return to Konoha. Getting there had taken three days, at the slow pace they had to move to accommodate everyone that was sporting an injury. When they finally got to the village, it was to face a very angry Tsunade, and Jiriaya suddenly found himself taking responsibility for everything that did, and could have gone wrong.

Tsunade was furious beyond belief that Jiriaya had done something so potentially harmful, not only to Naruto, but to the entire village. She shuddered to think what would have happened had the fox not been sealed again. And she blew another gasket when she discovered that Naruto had actually died.

Meanwhile, Naruto found himself in a very awkward situation. He was showered and wearing clean clothes, and was going out to lunch with Sakura. She had asked him the moment they had arrived at the village, and he found himself unable to turn her down.

Sasuke wasn't very happy with the situation. "She ignored you for years! And suddenly you're supposed to jump at the chance to go out with her!?!"

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm going to make it clear that I just want to stay friends." Naruto explained calmly. "But I don't want to be mean about it, because she is my friend."

Sasuke crossed his arms and stalked away to his room, leaving Naruto alone in the living room and feeling very guilty. He sighed and left the house, dread slowly filling him. How was he supposed to tell Sakura that he just wanted to be friends? Should he tell her why? She he lie? He wasn't going to tell her the whole story, but he wouldn't feel right about just feeding her a load of bullshit either.

He met his teammate at Ichiraku's. Sakura had also cleaned up and smiled brightly at him when he sat down next to her. She quickly filled the silence with an endless stream of chatter, while occasionally pausing long enough to take a bite of her ramen.

For the most part, Naruto hadn't touched his ramen, although he found that he could stand it when he wasn't shoving it down like it was his last meal. Sakura finally noticed this and frowned.

"What's wrong Naruto?"

Naruto took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to ignore the nervous feeling that suddenly popped up in the pit of his stomach. "I… I… Well…" He shifted uncomfortably, taking another small bite of his noodles. "You see- Sakura, I- Can I trust you?"

Sakura looked surprised by this question. "Of course you can, Naruto. Why? What's on your mind?"

"Well, its just… you're gonna be mad at me, but please let me finish…" He took another deep breath. "I never had a crush on you."

Sakura's eyes widened, but she remained silent.

"You see, I- The other kids made fun of me, because I didn't have a crush on a girl." He let his voice drop so that Sakura could barely hear it. "They said I was gay. So, I- I pretended… because… well, because I didn't want anyone to know that I really was…" He was staring down at his bowl of ramen, careful not to look into Sakura's eyes. "That's what I wanted to tell you. You can get mad now."

Sakura just stared at the blonde for a minute, processing what he had just told her. Then she smiled, although he couldn't see her, and suddenly she pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh Naruto! I'm not mad! It's a compliment!"

Naruto's eyes widened, and all he could see was the pink of Sakura's hair. She finally released her grip on him and looked him strait in the eye. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my sudden interest in dating you. I'm glad you think you can trust me." She gave him another quick hug before turning back to her ramen and picking up her side of the conversation where she had left off. Naruto stared at her in shock for a while before turning back to his own bowl of ramen.

Sasuke was sitting in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea when Naruto came home. It was late in the afternoon.

"You were gone for a while. Did you have fun?" Sasuke asked, unable to keep the venom out of his voice.

Naruto frowned. "It was okay. I told Sakura that I wasn't interested in dating her."

"Really? How did that go?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Well, she took it really, really well when I told her I like guys."

Sasuke choked on his tea. "You told her that!?"

"Yeah. How else was I supposed to break it to her without hurting her feelings? And she is my friend, and I trust her. I mean, she stood by me even after she found out about the fox."

Sasuke agreed with that part, but wasn't about to tell Naruto that. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked pointedly in the opposite direction.

"Ah, don't pout, Sasuke." The blonde came up behind the Uchiha and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"I am not pouting." Sasuke insisted.

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm not!!" He shrugged Naruto off and stood up abruptly, stopping to glare at the blond for a second before stomping out of the room. He paused after only a few steps though. He couldn't get over the hurt look he'd seen on Naruto's face. Sighing, he turned to go back and found himself nose to nose with said blonde.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's waist and pulling him into a stiff hug. He buried his face in his neck and repeated himself. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke relaxed, wrapping his arms around Naruto and rubbing up and down his back. "I am too.

Naruto pulled out of the hug and gave Sasuke a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm tired. Lets go to bed." He left Sasuke's warm embrace and headed down the hall to his bedroom.

Naruto was already curled up in the bed, with his back to the door when Sasuke followed him into the room. He quickly shed his clothes and slipped underneath the covers.

Naruto smiled to himself as Sasuke snuggled up against his back, wrapping an arm around his waist, and ghosting his fingers over his stomach.

"Hey… that tickles." Naruto put his hand over Sasuke's, stilling the movements. But the hand didn't stay still for long. A few seconds later is slid down until it came into contact with the top of Naruto's boxers.

"Naruto." He shivered slightly at Sasuke's voice in his ear.

"Yeah?"

"Your actually wearing boxers?"

Naruto chuckled a little. "Yeah. You got me in the habit, I guess." He turned over to look at Sasuke and was surprised to see a smirk on his face. He peaked under the blankets.

"I see your not wearing any."

"That's a problem." Sasuke suddenly brought his face so close to Naruto's that their noses were touching, and his words were barely breathed out. "We'll just have to fix that."

The same time that Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's he yanked the offending piece of clothing down past Naruto's hips, making Naruto gasp. He took the opportunity to plunge his tongue into the other boy's mouth, feeling distinctly pleased when Naruto's tongue jumped to meet his.

They were beginning to feel really hot under the blankets. Sasuke shifted so he was lying on top of Naruto, their naked flesh rubbing together, still not breaking their kiss. He felt a stab of annoyance at the boxers what were still on Naruto's legs, slightly above the knees, preventing him from fitting snuggly right between the gorgeous creature's legs. Oh how he despised clothing at that moment.

Naruto broke the kiss, panting slightly, and Sasuke moved his lips to the other's neck. He could feel Naruto squirming under him when he latched onto the skin right beneath the ear, and a soft moan escaped his lips, reverberating through the blondes skin.

Sasuke tried to grind his erection into Naruto's but once again found that the boxers were getting in the way. With a growl of annoyance, he released Naruto's neck, quickly disappearing under the blanket.

Naruto gasped as the fabric dragged down his legs and bucked his hips when Sasuke licked the tip of his penis before resuming his place on top of him, their erections now rubbing freely together.

"You taste good." Sasuke whispered huskily, before joining their lips in another passionate kiss, once more delighting in the feel of the other boy's mouth. He rolled his hips, and they both moaned at the delicious friction created.

"Sasuke!" The Uchiha could have gotten off just by the way he heard his name playing across Naruto's lips. "Sasuke, fuck me!"

Unbidden, and unwanted, one of Sasuke's most feared and most hated memories flashed through his mind. Orochimaru's sneering face was there, saying "Fuck me." He froze.

"Sasuke?"

His mind was working furiously. The words he still remembered so clearly echoed in his head. _You're too perfect to be ruined_. Like hell he was!

"Sasuke!?" He shook his thoughts away, and met Naruto's worried gaze. "What's wrong? Did I- Did I do something…?"

Sasuke shook his head, planting a reassuring kiss on Naruto's lips. "No. I just- I don't want to fuck you." Naruto's eyes widened for a split second before Sasuke continued. "I want you to make love to me."

A warm flush turned Naruto's cheeks redder than they already were. "I-I…? B-but-" Sasuke interrupted him with another kiss.

"I need you Naruto. I need you so bad." He rolled them over so Naruto was on top, straddling him, and he took three of the blonde's fingers pointedly into his mouth.

Naruto flushed again, but nodded as if in confirmation before adjusting himself so that he was lying between Sasuke's legs, his erection tauntingly close to the Uchiha's entrance. He slipped his fingers out of Sasuke's mouth and kissed him again as he slipped one finger into his tight entrance, feeling the whole body beneath him tense. He slowly worked it in and out until he felt Sasuke relax.

Sasuke cried out softly when he added a second finger, and Naruto paused. "Are you-"

Sasuke cut him off with a desperate kiss. "I'm fine."

Naruto continued working his fingers in and out of the tight hole, scissoring them back and forth, stretching him. When the body was finally relaxed, he added the third and final finger, working him for another minute before Sasuke was pushing down on his fingers.

Sasuke's face scrunched with pain as Naruto entered him slowly, giving him time to adjust. At Sasuke's nod, he pulled out almost completely and thrust back in, hesitating when Sasuke cried out.

"D-don't stop!" Sasuke gasped desperately, sensing Naruto's hesitation. He wrapped his legs around the blonde's waist, bringing him closer and urging him to keep moving. Naruto complied, setting a steady rhythm. The discomfort disappeared, and the next time Sasuke cried out was because of the intense pleasure that washed over him when Naruto hit a spot inside him that made him want to scream.

And the next time the blonde hit that spot, he did scream.

Naruto stopped dead. The noise that Sasuke had just made sounded more like a scream than anything. Terror flooded through him. Had he hurt him?

Another growl of frustration ripped from Sasuke's throat. "Don't- fucking- stop!"

Naruto timidly pulled out and thrust in again, still not picking up speed. This only seemed to further Sasuke's frustration.

"Damnit Naruto! Faster! Harder!" Naruto complied, allowing himself to give into the animalistic pleasure, he thrust hard, unmercifully pounding the Uchiha into the mattress as his climax approached. One hand clung desperately to Sasuke's hip, the other found its way to Sasuke's abandoned erection, firmly grasping it and pumping it.

It wasn't long before they climaxed, Naruto inside Sasuke and Sasuke onto both their stomachs. Naruto collapsed fully on top of Sasuke's chest, panting heavily, his heart pounding. They were silent as the after waves of pleasure rolled over them.

"It's hot." Sasuke muttered, rolling them both over so he was once again planted firmly between Naruto's legs, he flung the blanket aside, resting his head down on Naruto's shoulder. "I love you."

Naruto wrapped his arms around the sleepy Uchiha. "I love you too."


	80. Chapter 80

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update… between school and work I can't find the time to do hardly anything… but here it is… the LAST chapter… its finally done… YAY… that means I'm going to start on my new one really soon… well… enjoy! **

**Chapter Eighty**

Sakura was sitting alone at the bridge, lost in thought. She was alone, because there was no training for a few days, and she had simply needed to get out of the house so she could find a quiet place to think.

She was thinking about Naruto. Well, not just about Naruto. About both her teammates.

She was very flattered that Naruto had trusted her enough to come out to her, but now her mind was full of suspicions. Suspicions in which Naruto and Sasuke were a lot more involved than even she knew.

But she had no way to prove. Not for sure at least. While Naruto had trusted her, she highly doubted that Sasuke would just come prancing up to her and announce that he liked guys and that him and Naruto were doing the naughty while they were holed up in his house together.

She giggled at the thought. Then the more serious side of her mind took over.

It would explain why Sasuke had been so upset when Naruto had died. She had never seen the Uchiha in such utter despair. The look on his face had been heartbreaking. And that had only served to increase the pain she had already been feeling. There had to be something going on between Naruto and Sasuke.

But how could she find out what?

Various scenarios started flashing through her mind, and one by one she narrowed them down. She couldn't force a confession out them. They would just lie. And she was able to admit to herself that she wasn't a good enough ninja to find out by spying on them. They'd be onto her before she could make her first observation.

So. That only left one option. She'd have to trick them into telling her. She didn't think it would be too hard.

* * *

Sasuke was only a little irritated. Here he was, face to face with Sakura, and she had reverted back to her annoyingly obvious crushing on him self.

But he wasn't completely annoyed. He just had to figure out how to make her get the hint that he had absolutely no interest in her without revealing exactly why he had no interest in her.

"Sakura." He paused to think for a second. "I- there's someone else." That was likely to work, right?

"Oh." Her face fell, and she pouted for a second. Then the pout turned into a look of mild curiosity. "Who?"

'Damnit!' Sasuke mentally cursed himself. That had backfired on him big time. "Well, I- I'd rather not say at the moment." Oh god. Did he really just sound that lame?

"Oh." Sakura pouted again. "Okay. I'll talk to you later, then." She turned and walked away, successfully hiding her smirk from Sasuke. Oh, he was so readable sometimes. And for her purposes, that was as good as a direct confirmation.

* * *

Ino was smirking to herself. She had just witnessed Sakura getting turned down by Sasuke, and she was smugger than a newly laid horndog. So, Sasuke had his sights set on someone that wasn't Sakura, huh? She had a nagging feeling that it just had to be her. Of course, no one in their right mind would choose billboard brow anyways, right?

In her mind it all made sense at least.

That was why she was "stealthily" following Sasuke home, completely oblivious to the fact that he was aware of her every move. No. She was too focused on planning her next move: she was going to make Sasuke hers. Oh, yes she was.

Or so she thought.

She knew the moment she landed outside the closed door of the Uchiha manor that it was too much to hope that Sasuke would have so foolishly left the door unlocked.

But, much to her surprise, he did.

And apparently it wasn't too much to ask that she would know exactly where to go, because there was a trail of clothes leading from the front door. Sasuke's clothes. The excitement was building in her chest. He was naked!

She followed the trail of clothes and came to the partially opened bathroom door. She heard a little bit of splashing and could see the steam seeping out into the hallway. Ino had never been more excited. Sasuke was naked, and in the bath, obviously waiting for her.

Repressing the girlish squeal that threatened to tear out of her throat, she carefully pushed the door open wider…

…only to reveal the site of her worst nightmare, even if it was the first time she was having such a nightmare.

Sasuke wasn't alone in the bath. He was there with someone. Not just someone. He was there with Naruto. And he wasn't just there with him. He was straddling him, and they were making out. Oh, and did I mention they were both naked and wet?

Ino tore off down the hallway as fast as she could and darted out of the house. It was terrible. She had to go find comfort. She had to go find Kiba.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto were staring at the spot Ino had been standing only second's before.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Naruto asked, playfully nuzzling against Sasuke's neck.

"Yeah." Was Sasuke's simple answer before he attacked Naruto's mouth with his own.

* * *

"There's something in the water, I tell you!!!!"

Tsunade gaped at the old man who had just made the statement. Something in the water? Were they still on the same subject? "Wait? Something in the water?"

"Yeah!" Another one of the villagers joined. There were almost twenty different people crammed into her office. "There's something in the water that's turning our finest shinobi gay!"

Tsunade snorted. "Don't be stupid! There's nothing in the water!"

"Then how do you explain it!?!?! First, the Hyuuga, Neji and Nara, Shikamaru are caught together! They're two of the most promising prodigy's! And now the last Uchiha! And with the demon boy no less! It can't be aloud! They have to carry on their bloodlines, and how do they do that if they're taking it up the ass!?!"

There were many sounds of disgust, and Tsunade's eyebrows rose even more. "What do you want me to do? Tie them up in a room with a bunch of fangirls and let them have their way with the boys?"

"YEAH!!!!!!" Came the chorus of agreement.

"NO!" Tsunade was suddenly on her feet, scowling darkly at the people surrounding her. "Just who the hell do you think you are? All of you! Coming in here and complaining about something that is none of your business. It's their choice, and their life. If they don't want to procreate, it's up to them, and there's nothing you, or anyone for that matter, can do about it. Even if I wanted to intervene, it's not my place. But since I am perfectly content with whatever they choose, I will personally make sure that NO ONE intervenes." Her voice was steadily getting louder. "Is that understood!?!"

There was a somewhat stunned silence. Finally someone spoke. "So… what? Are we supposed to just let them be gay?"

Tsunade's eye twitched, and her voice grew very quiet and very dangerous. "Yes."

* * *

Sasuke was very much amused when people started avoiding him. It had spread through the village like wildfire that he was gay, and that he was with Naruto. He had also found out that Neji and Shikamaru were involved, a fact that he found absolutely hilarious, for some odd reason. But Neji didn't care. He was too busy being smug over the fact that he had known about "Naruto and Sasuke" before there even was a "Naruto and Sasuke".

Naruto was thoroughly embarrassed to suddenly be out of the closet and in front of the entire village, but he wasn't unhappy. Sasuke was standing firmly at his side, even if he could hardly stand himself. (Who knew the Uchiha had so much libido? Naruto was sure he'd be walking funny for a week! And who knew Sasuke could get so turned on after they had been walked in on by Ino, of all people!)

Sakura was happily standing by and supporting her friends. She was more than a little furious with Ino, and had gone to find her the same day she had opened her fat mouth and revealed Sasuke and Naruto to the entire village. Ino was walking around with a fat lip and a black eye.

Kiba was avoiding everyone. He had gotten himself into quite the jam when he had picked a fight with a Jounin again, and he didn't have anyone to back this time. Hinata had ditched him, and Ino had no desire to stand by him when everyone was starting to turn against him.

Gaara, Temari and Kankuro had gone back to Suna. After all, the ninja that had been causing all the trouble were mostly all dead, and if they weren't, they were in hiding.

Naruto had said goodbye to Gaara and thanked him for everything. He had even pushed a disgruntled Sasuke to do the same.

Overall, while everything was far from perfect, life was going pretty good for Naruto and Sasuke. While they had to endure a lot of grief from the villagers, it was nothing compared to how life would be without each other. (I know that line is so corny, but I'm always really bad at the endings.)

Training was always the same. Kakashi always read his stupid book, Naruto and Sasuke would continuously sneak away together, and Sakura and Kakashi would laugh their asses off at conspiracy's of what exactly the two boys were doing. And They loved every minute of it.

The End


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